Not Quite as Planned
by cerokun
Summary: Ichigo was a bit slow to pull Zangetsu out as his Inner World crumbled. The result ends up not quite as Urahara had intended.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I'm posting this on a fanfiction website. I think it's obvious that I don't own Bleach.**

**AN: This is the first fanfic I've ever gotten out of the mental planning stage and actually put up. Please provide feedback. Spelling mistakes, things that don't make sense, etc. Please enjoy the first chapter of Not Quite as Planned.**

Ichigo was starting to wonder why he bothers get up in the morning. If it wasn't the normal thugs and morons looking to kick his ass, it was Hollows trying to eat his friends. If it wasn't Hollows, it was Shinigami trying to kill him for gaining the power to fight Hollows. He just could not catch a break. Case in point, his current attempts to regain his powers as a Shinigami.

So far today he had had his Chain of Fate severed, nearly gotten flattened by a little girl smaller than either of his sisters, dropped to the bottom of a stupidly deep shaft, watched what was left of his Chain of Fate eat itself, and finally been told by an old man that if he didn't figure out how to get his powers back before the city in his mind finished collapsing he would become a hollow. Even by his standards this was not shaping up to be a good day.

_Come on, Ichigo! Think!_ According to the old man, his powers were in one of the boxes falling around him. Unfortunately, there were millions of boxes and it wasn't like he had time to search all of them. _There's a way to pull this off! There has to be!_ But he was drawing a complete blank.

* * *

><p>Outside Ichigo's mind, the residents of Urahara's shop watched as white fluid erupted from the boy's mouth and eyes, beginning to form a mask. This was both good and bad. It was bad – obviously – because the mask meant Ichigo was turning into a Hollow. It was good because normally when a Whole becomes a Hollow the spirit's body explodes, then reforms as a Hollow. The mask forming first showed that Ichigo was fighting the transformation.<p>

_Hurry up, Ichigo._ Urahara was starting to get worried. _If you don't regain your powers as a Shinigami, we'll have to kill you._ Granted, purifying him would certainly get Ichigo into Soul Society, but there was no telling where in the Rukongai he would end up, and there would be no way he would get strong enough to save Rukia in time.

Urahara looked back into the hole as Tessai started chanting the incantation for Bakudo 99. As strips of cloth mummified the transforming body that was once Kurosaki Ichigo, Urahara caught a glimpse of a leering completed mask. _Damn it. Sorry, Ichigo_.

* * *

><p>Ichigo had finally remembered the words Ishida Uryuu had said when he introduced himself. The Spirit Ribbon of a Shinigami is red, as opposed to the white of a normal human's. It stood to reason that the box containing his powers would have a red ribbon. He found the ribbon and pulled open the box, revealing the hilt of his Zanpakuto. As the old man – whom Ichigo was starting to realize was in fact the embodiment of his Zanpakuto – shouted for him to draw the blade, the final piece of his mental city fell.<p>

* * *

><p>Urahara sensed the explosion of power building moments before it happened. He grabbed Ururu and Jinta then dove for cover. He was certain Tessai would be fine. He heard Jinta yelling about something emerging from the pit and focused his senses on the object as it careened off the ceiling and impacted the ground.<p>

The shopkeeper could feel both Shinigami and Hollow reiatsu emanating from the dust cloud. That was okay; he had expected that. What he had not expected was that there was considerably more Hollow reiatsu than Shinigami. Urahara kept a hand on the cane that hid his Zanpakuto, ready to draw the instant whatever Ichigo had become turned hostile. The trio watched as the dust cloud started to clear.

* * *

><p>Ichigo was conscious. That was a good sign. He also wasn't running off on a feeding frenzy. That was even better. He was human shaped and could feel the oversized sheath on his back. Some things seemed a little off though. For one, his Shinigami uniform was wrong. Looking down, he could see the usually black kimono was white. For another, he could feel something over the upper left of his face, covering his forehead and left eye. He reached a hand up to feel it, but stopped when he saw the skin of his hand was paler than it should be.<p>

_This…is not good._

Ichigo then noticed one more important detail. He couldn't feel his heart beating. Gulping, afraid of what he would find, he shakily reached for his chest.

* * *

><p>Urahara and the kids stared as the dust settled and Ichigo's form became visible. Like Ichigo they noticed the reversed colors of his uniform, the red and white fragment of a mask covering the upper left of his face, and the unnatural paleness of his skin. What Ichigo could not see was the color of his eyes. Ichigo's eyes had been brown before he went into the Shattered Shaft. Now they were amber, set in a field of black. Urahara had only seen eyes like that on Hollows.<p>

Outwardly, Urahara seemed the picture of stoicism. On the inside he was cursing up a storm. The method used to return Ichigo's powers had been intended to make him a Vizard, a Shinigami with the ability to call on the powers of a Hollow. What Urahara was seeing matched the description of the Vizard's opposite number. He watched as Ichigo pulled open his kimono and looked at his chest. _Oh, shit._

"Hey, Urahara. I think we've got a problem," Ichigo said. His voiced sounded like he was moments away from freaking out. To be honest, Urahara couldn't blame him. The former Shinigami Captain and newly formed Arrancar both stared at the fist-sized hole in Ichigo's chest.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Am I going to have to do this every chapter? I don't own Bleach.**

**AN: Chapter 2. Same as last chapter, feedback is appreciated. Constructive criticism is always wanted.**

Ichigo looked over his body. For the most part, he still felt like he always had in his spiritual form. The hole in his chest and the lack of a heartbeat were the major differences. The absolute emptiness Rukia had told him Hollows feel wasn't there. The thought that he wouldn't try to devour his family friends as soon as he saw them was a relief. All he felt right now was an empty stomach, but it wasn't much worse than he'd felt as a human.

Then there was the mask fragment attached to his face. That would take some getting used to. He could already feel an itch building beneath it.

"Something funny?" asked Urahara at the sight of the sudden smirk on Ichigo's face.

"Just thinking that maybe the reason Hollows are so ticked off all the time is that they can't scratch their face because of the mask."

* * *

><p>Urahara blinked at the rather random statement. After his initial obligatory freak-out, Ichigo seemed to be taking his transformation rather well. While Ichigo becoming an Arrancar was not what had been intended, it was not entirely a bad thing. Ichigo had spiritual powers again, and there was plenty of time to train him up to the a level where he'd be able to challenge the upper ranks of the Shinigami.<p>

The biggest problem would be the simple fact that the Shinigami were not going take a Hollow breaking into the Seireitei lying down. Rather than regarding Ichigo and his friends as a minor nuisance, Yamamoto would likely have the Vice Captains actively hunting them down at the least. At worst, the Captains would join in.

Urahara scowled. Simply giving Ichigo the needed combat experience wasn't going to be enough. He was going to need every advantage he could get. The same went for Inoue, Sado, and Ishida. And there was only one group he could think of that could teach Ichigo to use the Hollow powers he now had on such short notice.

"Tessai."

"Yes, sir?"

"Get in touch with Shinji. Tell him I need a favor. If he does it, we're square."

"Roger."

Meanwhile, Urahara would have the wonderful job of informing Yoruichi that there was going to be a slight change of plans. She was definitely going to skin him alive for this little accident. And as for Isshin…well, Urahara was glad the man currently had no access to his own spiritual powers.

- 6 Hours Later-

Urahara – covered in bandages – looked at the assembled group of teenagers. Luckily, Inoue and Sado had managed to access their powers at will just a few hours before. After bringing the two novices back to the shop, and doing severe damage to Urahara's person when she found out what had happened to Ichigo, Yoruichi had gone to retrieve Ishida. Like his classmates, the Quincy had just recently finished his training with the Sanrei Glove. All three now sat around the table in Urahara's dining room. Urahara scratched at his chin, trying to figure out how to explain the situation delicately and with minimal damage done to his shop.

"Kisuke, quit stalling or I'll tell them," threatened the black cat that was sitting on table.

Ishida pushed his glasses up his nose. "I imagine that whatever you're reluctant to tell us has to do with Kurosaki, seeing as you were the one preparing him for this venture."

"Is Ichigo alright?" Sado voiced the question both he and Inoue were thinking.

Urahara took a deep breath. _Here goes nothing._ "The method I used to restore Ichigo's Shinigami powers was a rather risky one. There were safer avenues, but none that could be completed in the time we have. Essentialy, he would either succeed and become a Shinigami, or fail, and thus become a Hollow." All the teenagers flinched and glared at him. "Young Mr. Kurosaki ended up taking a third option."

"A third option? Like what? Becoming a Quincy? Or developing powers like Inoue or Sado?" Ishida quickly absorbed the information and began analyzing it.

Urahara shook his head. "As much as I'm sure you would like not being the last of your kind, I'm afraid that is not the case." He paused to try to figure out how to phrase his next words. "Think of two adjacent rooms in a house. One room is Shinigami, the other is Hollow. Normally they're completely separate. However, some beings manage to poke holes in the wall between the two. This process is called Hollowfication in the case of Shinigami and Shinigamification for Hollows. It allows them to gain access to powers they normally could not possess." Urahara could practically see the cogs working in the teenagers' heads. "During the process of regaining his powers, Ichigo's wall was full of holes. He could have gone either way. From what Ichigo has told me, he was able to grasp his Shinigami power after his body had already completed its transformation into a Hollow. The result is what is termed an 'Arrancar'."

Urahara looked over his audience. Inoue looked ready to cry. Sado looked ready to rip his head from his shoulders. Ishida just looked impassive.

"Is Kurosaki going to be a threat to Karakura?" Ishida finally asked. Urahara had to admit the kid had one hell of a poker face. Finding out the one Shinigami he could stand ended up becoming a combination of the two things he hates the most should be playing havoc with the Quincy's mind, but he didn't show it at all.

Urahara shook his head. "Thankfully no. Ichigo's mental state seems largely unchanged. We'll need to keep an eye on him of course, but I don't think we'll have to worry about him going on a feeding frenzy."

"Where is Ichigo now?" Sado asked.

"Oh, he was complaining about being hungry. So I sent him out with Ururu and Jinta to get something to eat," Urahara said cheerfully, snapping his fan open in front of his face, as if he had not sent a hungry, potentially dangerous Hollow out into the town with only a couple kids to keep him in check. All three teenagers looked at him like he was insane. Yoruichi made her displeasure known by adding another trio of scratches to Urahara's face.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I am a poor college student living in America, not a successful mangaka living in Japan. Thus it can be reasonably inferred that I do not own Bleach.**

**AN: I would like to thank the people who reviewed. It makes me feel all warm inside that people actually enjoy this story. Please continue to offer your comments and critiques so that I can make this story as good as possible.**

* * *

><p>"What are you waiting for? Eat up. Doesn't it look good?"<p>

"It looks like something I just got through beating the stuffing out of. You seriously expect me to eat this thing?"

"Think of it as tenderization. And yes, I expect you to eat it!"

Ururu's eyes bounced back and forth between Jinta and Ichigo as they argued over what was going to be the teen's first meal as an Arrancar. She looked down at the twitching, bleeding lump on the ground that until moments ago had been a low level Hollow. The trio had come across it while trying to figure out what the heck Ichigo was going to eat. Ichigo, who had had a long, stressful day, gleefully used the unfortunate Hollow as a punching bag. Just as the Arrancar had been about to draw his sword and finish it off, Jinta had remembered that the Menos Grande they had faced a week ago had eaten its fellow Hollows. Ichigo was understandably less than enthused with the idea.

"It's not like you have a whole lot of options here, Berry Head! It's eat the Hollow or starve!"

"I'm about three seconds from making you eat it, brat!"

Ururu sighed. _I think we're going to be here a while._

-x-

Ishida, Inoue, and Sado followed Yoruichi through the streets of Karakura. After leaving Kisuke to treat his scratches himself, Yoruichi had locked on to the reiatsu signatures of Jinta and Ururu. They were staying in one place, which would make reaching them easy. If the group of teens behind her hadn't insisted on coming, she would have been there already. As they ran she focused on the third source of reiatsu that was with Jinta and Ururu, familiarizing herself with it. It certainly still felt like Kurosaki Ichigo; turning into a Hollow apparently had done nothing for his ability to restrain his power.

The quartet rounded the last corner and caught sight of Ichigo, Jinta, and Ururu. Unfortunately, they arrived exactly when Ichigo's hunger overruled his misgivings over eating a Hollow. Thus, they had a front row seat to Ichigo ripping one of the Hollow's arms off and taking a bite out of it. What followed was very much like a train wreck. Looking away became impossible as Ichigo tore apart and devoured his meal with all the savagery of a true Hollow.

Inoue finally managed to tear her eyes away when her stomach heaved and she emptied what was left of her dinner onto the street. Ishida and Sado looked like they were very close to joining her.

-x-

The sound of something splattering on the ground broke through the haze of bloodlust and hunger that had gripped Ichigo's mind. The first thing he noticed was the bloody hunk of meat in his hands and the blood that had covered the front of his kimono. The sudden realization of what had just happened hit him a moment later. He tossed the remains of the Hollow away in horror and stumbled to his feet. Wheeling around, he caught sight of his friends staring at him, terror evident on their faces. His vision swam, and the last thing he heard was his name being called.

-x-

The next thing Ichigo knew, he was waking up back in Urahara's shop, surrounded by his friends and the shop residents. Judging by the fact he couldn't move, Ichigo guessed that he was – once again- held by a Bakudo. There was also a sword at his neck and a glowing arrow pointing at his face.

"Good evening, Ichigo," Urahara greeted, cheerful smile at odds with the razor edged blade in his hand, "Did you have a nice meal?"

Ichigo glared. "No, not only did it look and taste awful, I lost control of myself while I was eating it."

"Maa, I was expecting that actually. Most Hollows are not able to gain some control of themselves until they get a good meal." That got glares from the rest of the room's occupants. "I'm sensing some hostility…"

"Am I going to go nuts every time I eat?"

"Probably not. "

"You have no idea, do you?" Yoruichi asked.

"It's not like I've studied many Arrancar. They're not easy to find you know."

"Why do I put up with you, Kisuke?"

"My devilish good looks and well developed sense of humor?"

-x-

Ishida let his bow and arrow dissipate so he could pinch the bridge of his nose. The shopkeeper was obviously insane. It was the only explanation for his utter lack of concern for Kurosaki's situation. "What do we do now?"

Yoruichi and Urahara stopped their banter to look at him. Urahara casually leaned back and sheathed his sword. "The best thing we can do is keep Ichigo well fed. That should keep him from losing control every time he eats."

"While that is important, I was referring more to the plan to retrieve Rukia Kuchiki. I doubt Soul Society would simply allow us to waltz in and take her, even if Kurosaki were a Shinigami. I imagine we'll have even more difficulty now."

Kurosaki seemed confused. "Wait, you're just going to ignore the episode I had?"

Ishida pushed his glasses up his nose. "I am not ignoring it. However, you seem perfectly lucid right now, and until we can determine whether it is going to continue happening, I see no reason to continue discussing it."

"That was just a bunch of nerd-speak for 'I'm going to ignore it for now'."

"I could shoot you if you would prefer."

"So…Plan to rescue Rukia?"

"I can answer that," Urahara said, his face turning serious again. "My original plan was to train Ichigo for the next week, to give him the necessary experience he needed to fight the higher level Shinigami, and then let him gain more power and experience as you made your way to Rukia."

At that point, Yoruichi took over. "Obviously, that won't work now. A Hollow invading Soul Society is going to be like kicking a hornet nest, only the hornets have the power to reduce cities to rubble."

"So what are we going to do now?" Inoue asked.

Urahara started to answer, but a knock at the door interrupted him. The door opened to admit Tessai and a thin, blond man. The blond stopped when he saw Ichigo, bound on the floor in a Bakudo. His gaze shifted from Ichigo to the assembled teens, to Yoruichi and Urahara, then back to Ichigo. Then he turned to Tessai and said, "I give up. What's the punchline?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. I do own Volumes 1-27 of the series though.**

**AN: Alright. I think I'm starting to hit my stride. This chapter flowed a lot more easily than the previous three. As always, please leave comments and critiques. I can't improve if I don't know what's wrong with my writing.**

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><p>Orihime glanced around the underground training room. The blond man, who introduced himself as Shinji Hirako, had led them across town to a seemingly abandoned warehouse. Inside it was revealed to be anything but. Beneath the dilapidated building was a cavernous room, occupied by seven other people. Hirako-san had divided the teenagers up between his companions, "to whip you brats into shape," he had said. Chad and Ishida-kun were sparing with Kensei Muguruma, Mashiro Kuna, and Rose Otoribashi. Orihime was currently partnered with a giant of a man named Hachigen Ushoda, or "Hachi" as he had asked her to call him. The rest of the group was working with Kurosaki-kun.<p>

Granted, "working with" probably was not the phrase to describe it. Hirako-san was the only one actually trying to teach Kurosaki-kun to control his reiatsu enough that his sword could be reduced to a more manageable size. The other three, Love Aikawa, Lisa Yadomaru, and Hiyori Sarugaki waited with their hands on their own swords, in case Kurosaki-kun went out of control.

Orihime shivered as she remembered the sight they had come across earlier that night. Kurosaki-kun, ripping into the remains of a Hollow, blood dripping from his mouth, his eyes devoid of their usual warmth, replaced by the same bloodlust and madness that had clouded her brother's eyes. Even facing Sora-niisan had been less frightening than seeing Kurosaki-kun like that.

"Are you alright?"

Orihime jumped at the sound of Hachi-san's voice. "S-sorry. I was thinking."

-x-

Hachi glanced from Orihime over to Ichigo, just in time to see the Arrancar get smashed into the floor by a vicious sandal to the back of the head.

"Stupid, Strawberry! I've seen cadets fresh out of the Rukongai with better control than you!"

Hachi winced in sympathy. All of the Vizard had at one time or another felt the wrath of Hiyori's dreaded Sandal of Doom. Looking at him right now, the Vizard could not see any sign of a homicidal, soul-sucking monster. Ichigo Kurosaki seemed to be no more dangerous than most of the Shinigami Hachi knew.

All of the Vizard had thought Urahara had finally gone off the deep end when they were asked to assist in the training of an Arrancar and three humans in preparation for invading the Seireitei. There had been plenty of objections to the idea, most boiling down to the simple fact that Kurosaki was their antithesis. Who knew what kind of destruction the Arrancar was capable of? In the end, Urahara had needed to tell them exactly what was at stake, and what would happen if Rukia Kuchiki was not rescued.

The thought of Aizen with the Hogyoku quickly outweighed any misgivings the Vizard had. One Arrancar, who really didn't seem all that inclined to cause mass slaughter, or an army of murderous Arrancar, with Aizen Sosuke leading them? That was a no-brainer. And really, who better to train a bunch of kids to take on the upper echelons of Soul Society than former members of those upper ranks?

So it was decided. The Vizard would spend the next ten days getting the kids as prepared as it was possible to be, while Urahara worked on the Senkaimon. Hachi was rather enjoying the experience. Orihime Inoue was a vibrant, intelligent girl whose powers were very close to his own, something he had never seen before. Kensei and Mashiro also seemed to be enjoying the chance to spar with someone new (not that Kensei would actually say it outright). He was certain that by the end of the ten days, all three humans would be able to at least challenge the Vice Captains. It was Kurosaki that it was hard to say if he would be ready.

As a Shinigami/Hollow hybrid, Kurosaki certainly had the potential to fight on the level of the Captains. The problem was, the Vizard really had no idea where the similarities and differences between their powers and Kurosaki's were. Thus, they had no idea how best to train him. Was his Zanpakuto merely a seal for his power, or was there a spirit he had to commune and work together with? If it was the first, how does he unlock that seal? Shinji was trying to get Kurosaki to perform Jinzen, which would let him communicate with his Zanpakuto spirit (provided it existed), but first the Arrancar had to gain at least a rudimentary grasp of control over his reiatsu. And the more time they spent trying to figure out how to proceed with the training, the less time they would have to actually do it.

Hachi sighed. Kurosaki wasn't his concern right now. He turned back to Orihime and continued trying to convince her that if she wanted to be able to fight, she had to actually want to hurt her opponent. Pacifism was all well and good, but any Shinigami worth their Zanpakuto could easily disable an attack with no intent to kill behind it.

-x-

Ichigo picked himself up off the ground, spitting rocks out of his mouth. It was a freaking sandal; why did it hurt so much?

"For crying out loud, Strawberry. How can anyone suck so bad?" Hiyori taunted.

Ichigo groaned as he rubbed the back of his head. He had been sitting here for hours, and he was no closer to making it into his inner world. Hell, he didn't even know if he still had an inner world. After all, it had been collapsing last he saw it. There was no sign of the old man either.

Ichigo's train of thought was suddenly derailed when a sandal-clad foot plowed into his face, sending him bouncing and skidding across the training ground until he slammed into one of rocks that dotted the landscape.

"The hell was that for, you pint-sized bitch?" Ichigo yelled, dragging himself to his feet. His only answer was Hiyori appearing next to him and again sending him sailing across the room.

Hiyori watched Ichigo impact the ground, then turned to Hachigen. "Hachi, put up a barrier. This is taking too long. We'll do it the old fashioned way." She started walking toward Ichigo, drawing her Zanpakuto as she went.

-x-

Shinji, Love, and Lisa immediately backed out of the line of fire as glowing, transparent walls appeared around Hiyori and Ichigo.

"What on earth is going on?" Ishida asked, as everyone gathered around the outside of the barrier.

It was Lisa who answered. "Trying to force Ichigo into releasing his Zanpakuto."

Ishida looked through the walls, to where Hiyori had begun attacking Ichigo with her own Zanpakuto. "By trying to kill him?"

"Desperation can do wonderful things," Kensei said.

"Some Shinigami have an easier time releasing their Zanpakuto the first time in a life threatening situation," Love added.

"But Ichigo's not a Shinigami," Chad said.

The Vizard looked at each other, then turned away, coughing awkwardly. He was right of course. Nothing else they had tried was working. There was no guarantee this would. The only thing they could do was hope for the best.

-x-

Ichigo was quick to draw his own sword when he saw Hiyori bearing down on him. He was lucky the weapon had repaired itself when he emerged from the Shattered Shaft. Steel ground against steel as Ichigo struggled to hold of Hiyori's assault. He twisted his blade to the side and deflected Hiyori off to the side, but she simply whirled around and was on him again in a second.

His eyes widened as he heard a cracking noise coming from his blade. Before Ichigo could even look to see how bad the damage was, a particularly nasty swing from Hiyori shattered the sword again. Ichigo gaped at the broken blade, and so completely missed Hiyori winding up for another kick.

Rock crumbled as Ichigo collided with yet another boulder. As Ichigo lay bleeding among the rubble, his mind was racing. _Why? Why does it keep breaking?_

The sound of pebbles being kicked aside broke him from his thoughts, and Ichigo looked up just in time to see Hiyori reaching down to grab his hair. She dragged him up, then smashed his face down against her knee. Ichigo yelled in pain as he felt his nose break.

"Do you get it yet, Strawberry? That thing in your hand doesn't deserve to be called a Zanpakuto." Hiyori's voice sounded far away and some part of Ichigo noted that it was probably because pain and blood loss was causing him to black out. "Unless you pull your reiatsu together, that sword of yours will remain a worthless, sword-shaped balloon." She drove her knee into his face and body a few more times. "You go to Soul Society like this and it won't even be funny how fast you get killed." She let go of his hair and Ichigo dropped to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut. Hiyori turned in disgust and started walking away.

-x-

Orihime had her hands up covering her mouth as she watched her crush be brutally beaten. Chad was struggling not to try and force his way through the to help his friend. The only outward sign Ishida gave was his tightly clenched hands. All three cursed their inability to help their friend.

"I know it's harsh," Shinji said, "but let this serve as a wake-up call. What Hiyori just did is nothing compared to what the Shinigami will do. He needs to… Does anyone else feel that or am I imagining it?"

He wasn't imagining it. The amount of Hollow reiatsu in the cavern had just started growing. Everyone immediately focused on the motionless body of Ichigo Kurosaki.

-x-

Ichigo's eyes snapped open. He wasn't bleeding, he wasn't in pain. That was rather odd considering the beating he had just gotten. A quick glance around showed that he was back in the cityscape that was his mind. Almost everything seemed to back to the way it was last time he was here. The massive sinkhole in front of him was a new addition though. Ichigo peered over the edge, trying to see the bottom.

"It's too deep to see all the way down."

Ichigo jumped in surprise, nearly falling over the edge of the pit. He spun around and spotted the speaker, standing perfectly balanced on top of a lamppost. It took a second for his mind to register just who he was looking at.

"Old man?"

The being that Ichigo believed to be the spirit of his Zanpakuto smirked at him. Like Ichigo, the spirit had undergone some changes. His coat had reversed its color scheme, making it white with a black collar. His hair had also turned white. On his left shoulder was a trio of red stripes. Ichigo recognized them as corresponding to the stripes on his mask fragment.

"Indeed. Tell me, Ichigo, can you hear my name now? It's #$%&^*(."

Ichigo shook his head. "Sorry, I just hear gibberish."

The spirit scowled. He stepped off the lamppost and landed lightly on the street beside Ichigo. "Do you know why you can't hear me?" Again Ichigo shook his head. "It's because of fear. When we first saw each other you were terrified of turning into a Hollow. That fear blocked your ears to me."

"And now?"

The spirit's frown deepened. "Yourself."

"Huh?"

"Ever since you transformed you've been terrified. 'Will I have to eat people to live?' 'What happened to me when I ate that Hollow?'"

"Shut up."

"'They're afraid of me.' 'How long will it take Ishida to decide I need to be put down?'"

"Shut Up!"

"How long until I snap and go on a killing spree?' 'Am I going to end up like the monster that killed Mo-'"

"I said **SHUT UP**!" Ichigo slugged the spirit in the mouth and followed up with a blow that knocked him to the asphalt.

The spirit pushed himself off the ground. He spat out a tooth and a glob of blood, then he calmly got to his feet. He fixed Ichigo with a glare. "You treat your own power as a caged beast, waiting for the day it can break free and devour you whole. So long as you live in fear of yourself, you will never gain the control you seek."

Ichigo clenched his hands into fists again. The spirit simply stood there, refusing to back down. They stared each other down, until Ichigo finally blinked and turned away. "So what am I supposed to do?" he asked in a defeated voice.

"Why are you so afraid?"

"Why? I don't know. Maybe it's because I'm a freaking Hollow?" Ichigo said sarcastically. "My being around people is dangerous."

"You were dangerous long before you became a Hollow. Long before you became a Shinigami. Karakura Hospital had a whole ward on constant standby, ready for the next batch of thugs you and Chad would put there." Ichigo couldn't help it. The deadpan delivery made him smirk. "You could very easily kill a man with your bare hands, yet you never did. The same hands that beat those you fought into the ground also held and protected your sisters. When you were a normal human, you knew how to control the amount of force you used. What is so different now?"

"I – I don't know…"

"The simple fact is that there is no difference. You can learn to control yourself now just as you did then. All you need to do is believe that you can."

"I'm not sure I can."

"I am."

Ichigo looked up at the spirit. The old man's face had softened. He extended a hand to Ichigo. "If you can't believe in yourself, then believe in me who believes in you."

"You stole that from Gurren Lagann."

"Is the point any less valid?"

Ichigo looked at the still extended hand. He looked down at his own. Then he reached out and clasped the spirit's hand. "Alright. I guess if my sword trusts that I can handle it, I guess I can trust myself."

The spirit smiled. "Abandon your fear. Face forward. Advance. Don't give an inch. Retreat and you will age! Be afraid and you will die! Open up those ears of yours and listen, Ichigo! My name is –"

-x-

"Zangetsu!"

Hiyori's eyes widened as Ichigo's reiatsu soared. She watched as he climbed to his feet, no longer bearing any of the marks from his beating save the blood. Even his nose was back in its place. Then she caught sight of the sword in his hand.

The blade's length hadn't changed at all. However, it had narrowed considerably, becoming a more practically proportioned odachi. Ichigo looked at the sword, then at Hiyori, and grinned. Hiyori barely managed to get her Zanpakuto up in time to block Ichigo's. From the first clash she could feel that the blade was far sturdier than previously. She also realized that with a weapon that could match hers, Ichigo had the advantage in physical strength. Ichigo's strike picked her up and threw her a dozen meters. Hiyori hit, rolled, and came up on her feet, only to find Ichigo's amber and black eyes boring into hers.

"Payback time, Shorty!"

Hiyori was about to summon her mask and put the Strawberry in his place when a new barrier wall flared to life between them.

"Okay, I think that's enough of that!" Shinji said, clapping his hands to get their attention. "Ichigo, congratulations on your accomplishment. We're done for tonight. Get some rest and get ready for hell tomorrow."

-x-

Ichigo glared at Shinji's retreating back. He turned his gaze to the new sealed form of his Zanpakuto. With a smirk, Ichigo flipped it up and returned it to the sheath on his back – which had apparently resized itself to match its occupant. Then he was bowled over as a crying girl tackled him. "Wha -? Inoue?"

Orihime sniffed. "I'm so glad you're okay Kurosaki-kun. I was so worried about you!" So worried in fact, that she had completely forgotten that not long ago she was scared of him.

Ichigo was at a bit of a loss. He was no good at comforting crying girls. What was he supposed to say? 'It's okay, Inoue. I'm not worried that I might go nuts and try to eat you anymore?' He was pretty sure that wouldn't help much. He glanced up as a shadow fell over them.

"You okay, Ichigo?"

Ichigo smiled. "Yeah. I'm okay, Chad."

-Next Morning-

"Good Morning, Everybody!"

A chorus of groans and mumbling was Shinji's answer. The former Captain of Squad 5 grinned and pulled out a portable gong and mallet – which Urahara had helpfully provided for just such an occasion. With a flourish, Shinji hefted the gong and drew back the mallet.

-Kurosaki Residence-

Karin and Yuzu nearly fell out of their beds when the whole house rattled.

"The heck was that?"

"Earthquake?"

"Fear not, my darling daughters! Daddy will carry you to safety!"

"Go back to bed, Goat-chin!"

-Back at the Warehouse-

"Now, now. Calm down, everyone. It was just a harmless little prank…"

"I want his head, Strawberry."

"Only if you get there first, pipsqueak."

"Rose? Hachi? Lisa? Someone help me? Please?"

-Later-

Kensei stood before the assembled teenagers. Normally Shinji would be doing this, but after the beating he got from Hiyori and Ichigo this morning he probably wouldn't be doing much of anything today. "Alright. Listen up. We've got a lot to do and only nine days to do it. Inoue, you're with Hachi again. Sado and Ishida, you're with me. Kurosaki, Lisa's taking you out to hunt down something to eat, then you're learning how to use those Hollow powers of yours. Everybody got it? Well then what are you all doing still standing around for? Get to work."

-x-

Ichigo looked at the Hollow in front of him. He thought of what had happened last time. The bloodlust that had drowned his rational mind.

_Abandon Your Fear._

Ichigo squashed his doubts and leaped at the Hollow. He didn't have time to be afraid.

-x-

Ishida dodged Kensei's punch and retaliated with a flurry of arrows. None even came close to hitting the Vizard.

_Be ready, Shinigami. The last Quincy is coming for your heads._

He thought of the red-haired Shinigami that had effortlessly defeated him and redoubled his attacks.

-x-

Chad grunted as Mashiro's kick slammed into his armored right arm. The follow up punch laid him out, flat on his back. Slowly, he sat up and regained his feet.

_I've got your back, Ichigo. Just like I always have._

He launched himself at the green-haired Vizard, letting loose a massive blast from his arm.

-x-

Inoue panted as she threw up her Santen Kesshun to block an attack from Hachi.

"Now don't half-ass it, woman!" Tsubaki yelled at her.

"Right! Koten Zanshun! I reject!"

Tsubaki bisected Hachi's next attack but was stopped when he hit a barrier.

"Not good enough, woman! Put some oomph in it, damn it!"

"Right!"

_I will be useful._

"Koten Zanshun! I reject!"

-x-

Ichigo looked up at the clear, blue sky as he chewed on a chunk of Hollow. He swallowed the last of his meal and stood up.

_Hang on, Rukia. We're coming to get you._

* * *

><p><strong>Just to set the record straight, Ichigo did not use Resurreccion this chapter. That was just him getting his head together. Don't worry, we'll be seeing Resurreccion within a few chapters.<strong>


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. I do own bleach, which I use to do my laundry.**

**AN: I want to thank everyone who has placed this story on their favorite and/or alert lists. You guys rock. As always, please tell me what I should do to make this story better. How is the characterization? Is everyone reacting to the situations in ways believable for their character? The quality cannot improve if there is no feedback.**

* * *

><p>-Urahara's Shop-<p>

Ichigo looked down at his body. He had not been in it since before the Shattered Shaft, nearly two weeks ago. Even Urahara admitted to having no idea how his body would react to being inhabited by an Arrancar. It could do nothing. It could also explode. _Never going to find out if I don't actually get in it._ Ichigo took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and let himself fall backwards into his prone body.

When Urahara came in a few minutes later, Ichigo was sitting up, poking at his chest, as if expecting his Hollow hole to spontaneously appear if he left it alone. Then he looked at Urahara and asked, "What do my eyes look like?"

"Normal. Same with your skin. It seems that there are no overt signs of your nature while you are in your body."

Ichigo sighed in relief. He could imagine trying to explain that to his family. 'Yeah, Dad, I decided to become a goth. Oh, my eyes? Colored contacts.' Ichigo snorted. Yeah, they'd totally buy that. He worked his limbs to get some of the stiffness out.

"So, how did your training go?"

Ichigo smirked. "They'll never know what hit them."

"Well, the Senkaimon is ready to go anytime. Go home, spend a couple days with your family." Urahara snapped his fan open and cheerfully added, "After all, it may be the last time you see them." With those encouraging words, he shooed Ichigo out the door.

-Kurosaki Residence, Two Days Later-

"Listen up, Kon. I'm going to be gone for an unknown amount of time. If I come back and find out you went nuts like you did the first time, I'm going to eat you. Got it?"

Kon shivered. He doubted Ichigo would really eat him, but better safe than sorry. "I got it, Ichigo. No superhuman feats and no perverted acts. Cross my heart and hope to die." He climbed into Ichigo's backpack for the ride to Urahara's.

-x-

When Ichigo arrived downstairs, Karin barely resisted the urge to flinch. The past few days, Ichigo had felt…off. Oh he still acted like Ichigo, frowning all the time and fighting with Goat-chin. It was the spiritual aura she had always associated with him that had changed. Usually being in her brother's presence was like curling up in bed under a thick blanket, warm and comforting. Now she was feeling something underlying that, like a monster hiding under the bed. It reminded her of the thing that attacked her two weeks ago, the thing only one other person had been able to see. The thought of Ichigo possibly being of those things scared the hell out of her. She was starting to have nightmares about some evil thing with a hole in its chest ripping its way out of her brother's body and devouring her and Yuzu.

-x-

Ichigo noticed Karin trembling as he passed by her. "Are you okay?" he asked. He blinked when she gasped and jumped, spinning around to look at him with wild, fearful eyes. "Karin?"

She blinked and made a visible effort to compose herself. "Y-yeah, Ichigo. Sorry, I just got caught up in thinking about something." She gave him a shaky smile. Now Ichigo knew something was wrong. Normally Karin would have chewed him out for surprising her.

"Karin, if something's bothering you, you know you can tell me about it right?"

"No! I mean…Yeah I know. Things are just a little hectic is all."

Ichigo stared at her. The longer he stared, the more brittle her smile became.

"Ah, Ichigo! Are you going out?" Yuzu called from the kitchen. Ichigo turned to look at his other little sister, then turned back to Karin when he heard the scrape of a chair and running feet. Before he could say anything, she was out door and gone. Ichigo's frown deepened. Obviously, there was something going on with Karin that she didn't want him to know about. He'd have to tell Kon to keep a closer eye on her while he was gone.

"Ichigo?"

"Huh? Oh, sorry, Yuzu." Ichigo walked over to the entranceway to put on his shoes. "Yeah, I'm just running to Chad's place for a bit. I'll be back in a few hours."

"Have fun!" she called after him.

Ichigo snorted as he shut the door behind him. This adventure was likely to be anything and everything but fun. After one last look at the house he wasn't going to see for a while, Ichigo started jogging towards Urahara's shop.

-Urahara's Underground Training Room-

Urahara had had a very productive time while the kids trained with the Vizard. Like he had estimated, it took seven days to get the Senkaimon ready. The remaining three days had been spent preparing a few useful tools that might make the invasion go a little easier. And to think, if Ichigo had come out of the Shattered Shaft as a Shinigami, he would have never had the spare time to make them. Ichigo's transformation had really been a blessing in disguise. All of the kids were more prepared to fight, the Vizard had given them a few lessons on the who's who of Soul Society ("Stay away from the guy that looks a demented clown if you can, he's completely bat-shit", "If you see an old guy with a long, white beard, bend over, put your head between your knees, and kiss your ass good-bye"), and they were even leaving two days earlier than he had originally expected.

He looked at the assembled teens. They looked eager and determined to reclaim their friend. Urahara pulled his hat down over his eyes and smiled. He was sending four teenagers and his best friend to take on the entire Soul Society. It should be suicide. But seeing them gathered today, ready to plunge into the unknown for a girl they had only known for a few months, he couldn't help but feel they would pull it off.

"Alrighty! If everyone's ready, I shall explain how this is going to work!"

-x-

Yoruichi watched as Urahara instructed the teens on the workings of the Senkaimon. She hadn't been idle over the past ten days either. Once Chad and Orihime had been handed over to the Vizard, she had started working to get back in shape herself. The cat had spent the last ten days flickering all over Karakura. The first day had been horrible. Only a few hundred Shunpo and she had been ready to keel over. She couldn't believe how much she had let herself go these past hundred years. The second day had been better, and now, ten days later, she had regained a fair bit of her conditioning. She would have to remember to keep up her exercise when they returned from Soul Society. If she wasn't careful, she might start getting fat.

It looked like Urahara's lecture was over. Yoruichi smirked. She would have to track down Soifon while they were there. _I wonder how my cute little bee is doing._

-x-

Urahara watched as the group disappeared into the glowing portal. _Good luck, kids. You're going to need it._

"They gone?"

Urahara turned to see Isshin climbing down the ladder. "You worried?" Urahara asked as he walked toward his old friend.

Isshin gave a boisterous laughed. "Me worried? After everything I've taught that boy? I feel sorry for whoever tries to get in his way!" He sobered as Urahara entered arm's reach. "By the way, Kisuke…" Urahara had a sudden feeling of foreboding, right before Isshin's hand grabbed his shoulder in a vice-like grip. "Would you like to explain why my daughter is unable to be in the same room as her brother without breaking out in a cold sweat?"

_Crap. I knew I was forgetting something._

-x-

The trip through the Dangai had been relatively uneventful. Ishida almost got eaten by a wall, but Chad got him out of that fix. The Quincy was rather indignant when Chad simply decided to carry him the rest of the way. Then of course the exit turned out to be floating half a kilometer above the ground, leaving the invasion party plummeting to earth. Ichigo was annoyed that Urahara had neglected to mention that little detail. He flipped himself right side up and started pulling spirit particles under his feet to slow his fall, grabbing hold of Chad as he passed. A quick glance showed that Ishida had materialized what looked like a glowing, blue skateboard and caught Orihime, while Yoruichi had settled himself on the Quincy's shoulders.

The group landed safely in the middle of a town that wouldn't look out of place in feudal era Japan. Not far away, Ichigo could see white buildings. _That must be the Seireitei._ He resisted the urge to just run in. Shinji had mentioned that the first line of defense was the encircling wall falling from the sky to crush any intruders. Instead he turned to Yoruichi. "So, we're here. Now how do we get in?"

Yoruichi looked over his shoulder at him. "First we need to find Kukaku Shiba. "

Orihime cocked her head. "Why can't we just beat the gate guard and go through that way?"

"Because there's likely to be a couple hundred Shinigami waiting for us on the other side. The Twelfth Division's sensors likely picked our arrival. Remember, we're trying to be as discreet as possible." That was good enough reasoning for the teens and they followed after the cat.

-After getting directions-

"I'm not sure this is Kukaku Shiba has ever heard the word 'discretion'," Ishida said. Ichigo, Chad, and Orihime all nodded. They were standing in front of a fairly typical Japanese style home. Typical except for the pair of massive stone forearms holding a sign that read, "Kukaku Shiba." Reluctantly, the would-be invaders followed their guide in.

_-_Hours later-

Ichigo sat in the grass outside the house and sulked. The cannonball orb thingy had not taken well to his reiatsu. The second he put some reiatsu into it, the damn thing had exploded in his hands. Next thing he knew, he was getting his ass kicked by Kukaku Shiba for "destroying such a valuable tool!" Then she kicked him out. It wasn't his fault the stupid orb hadn't been tested to see how it would react to large amounts of Hollow reiatsu. And now he was getting hungry.

Ichigo reached into his kimono, pulling out what looked like a Pez dispenser. According to Hat-and-Clogs, the pills inside were made in very much the same way as Gikongon, stopping before putting in the actual sentience and personality. The result was a dense little gumball of spirit particles. One pill was supposedly the equivalent of one Hollow. Ichigo scowled at the little tube. It was going to be like living off protein bars, nutritious but not very filling. Still, anything was better than going mad with hunger and depopulating the Rukongai by accident. He popped a pill in his mouth, wistfully imagining the feast he would have in celebration after they got Rukia back. He found it mildly unsettling how quickly he had adapted to eating Hollows.

"Doing okay?" Chad's voice came from behind him.

Ichigo turned look his best friend. His eyes immediately focused on tray of food in the giant's hands. His question must have shown on his face, because Chad said, "Food in Soul Society is made of spirit particles." Ichigo's eyes widened. In retrospect, he felt stupid. Everything in Soul Society was made of spirit particles. But this meant he could eat it! As he wolfed down the food (grilled fish and fried rice his tastebuds happily informed him) Ichigo immediately began making plans to locate the food storage places in the Seireitei. So long as he had the chance to eat actual food he was going to take advantage of it.

"We've come up with a plan."

"Mrlly?" Ichigo asked through a mouthful of fish.

"You're going back to the gate."

"Hm?"

"We're going to take the cannonball while you crash the gate. Hopefully our entrance will keep people from noticing yours."

Ichigo swallowed. "What happened to being discreet?" he wondered aloud. Chad chuckled. Ichigo handed the empty tray back to Chad. "Well if that's the plan, I'll head back to the gate. Let Yoruichi know to call me when it's time to move out."

"Going to sleep under the stars?"

"Yeah. This is going to be our last peaceful night for a bit. Might as well take advantage of it."

"See you on the other side of the wall."

Ichigo waved and then vanished in a crackle of static.

-Morning, Invasion Day 1-

Ichigo's eyes blinked open at the sound of something buzzing. A few seconds later he was awake enough to realize it was coming from his kimono. The Arrancar pulled out a device that looked very similar to an iPhone.

"Hello?"

"We're ready here, Ichigo," Yoruichi's voice said. "Blast off is in a couple minutes. Get ready to breach the gate."

"Got it." Ichigo hung up and dropped off the roof he had spent the night on. Surprised villagers backed away at the sight of what seemed to be a white-clad Shinigami. Ichigo stretched a bit then ran toward the Seiretei.

As he had been told would happen, white walls crashed to the ground, along with a man bigger than his house.

"Well now. I haven't had anyone try to get through the Western Gate in years. I am Jidanbo, guardian of the White-Road Gate. What might your name be, little man?" the giant asked.

Ichigo was about to answer when he heard an explosion in the distance. "Sorry, no time. If I beat you, you open the gate right?"

The giant looked rather indignant. "You're an awfully rude boy. Didn't your parents ever teach you any manners? When someone introduces themselves, you give your name in return."

Ichigo spotted the bright dot on the horizon that was the incoming cannonball. "Fine, I'm Ichigo. You'll open the gate right?"

Jidanbo growled. He seemed annoyed that Ichigo was treating him as a minor inconvenience instead of a credible threat. "Yes, I will open it. However you should know that in the three hundred -." That was as far as he got before Ichigo appeared in front of his face and delivered a haymaker to the giant's forehead. Jidanbo's head snapped back, slamming into the gate behind him. The giant collapsed in a heap on the ground.

"Oh crap. Hey don't pass out! I need you to open the gate!" Ichigo was freaking out. He hadn't meant to hit him that hard! The cannonball was going to arrive any second now and the only person who could actually lift the massive gate was passed out on the ground. Then he was out of time, as the cannonball plowed into the barrier that surrounded the Seireitei.

"Shit!" Ichigo turned to the gate. "Please tell they didn't use that Sekkiseki stuff for the actual gate." He raised his hand and focused his power.

Any Shinigami would be able to recognize the glowing red orb that appeared in Ichigo's hand. In the academy they learn all the generic abilities of Hollows. Cero, also known as a Doom Blast or Hollow Flash, is one of the most iconic. All Shinigami (with the exception of a certain former substitute) know the best thing to do when faced with a Cero is to get out of the way. Even a weak one can cause massive amounts of destruction. Ichigo was not using a weak one.

"Outta my way, you damn door!" Ichigo roared and he released the blast. "**Cero**!"

As it turned out, Sekkiseki had not been used to construct the gate. The Shinigami inside got a big surprise when the gate was blown clear off its tracks, shattering spectacularly into a million pieces. Ichigo dashed through the cloud of dust and rubble, hoping to get out of sight while the Shinigami were trying to figure out what the hell was going on.

No such luck. Ichigo burst from the cloud right in front of a trio of Shinigami. They started in surprise, apparently unable to figure out what to make of the pale, white-clad Shinigami look-alike before them. Ichigo didn't give them the chance to get their bearings. Two went down when the Arrancar knocked their heads together, and the third only managed to get his sword halfway drawn before a kick to the head put him out. The damage was done however. The dust cloud was settling and more and more Shinigami were spotting him. When he felt the approach of several much stronger Shinigami, Ichigo cursed, then flashed away as fast as he was able, leaving dozens of Shinigami grunts confused, dazed, and wondering what the hell had just happened.

_Zangetsu._

Ichigo's Zanpakuto thrummed in acknowledgement, and the Arrancar felt his reserves being drawn into the blade. Right now he needed stealth more than power, and bleeding Hollow reiatsu all over the place was not the way to go about that. While Ichigo was unable to effectively reign in his power on his own (the moment anything broke his concentration it all came flooding back out), he had found that he could simply seal a greater portion of his reiatsu in Zangetsu. It wasn't a perfect solution, because he wouldn't be able to get that power back without utilizing his release, but it would do for now.

Ichigo nearly missed a step and narrowly avoided running face first into a wall when his phone went off. Checking that no one was around, Ichigo pulled the phone out. According to the screen, it was Ishida calling him.

"Hello?"

"What did you do, Kurosaki?"

"What do you mean?"

"Don't play dumb. We could see that flash when we breached the barrier. What did you use that Cero on? Why were you using a Cero in the first place? You were supposed to make a quiet entrance!"

"Says the guy who smashed his way in after being shot out of a cannon."

"Stop avoiding the question, Kurosaki."

"I don't want to talk to you anymore. Put someone else on."

Ishida hesitated. "We were separated. The cannonball dissolved as it passed through the barrier, then flung us far and wide."

Ichigo's response was cut off by the phone chiming again. He looked at the screen. "Conference Call?" Curious, he touched the screen.

"Is everyone alright?" Yoruichi's voice came from the phone.

"Chad and I are okay. We managed to land together," Orihime's voice answered.

"Good. Stick together you two. Uryuu? Ichigo? Did you get in?"

"I am unharmed, Yoruichi. I was just questioning Kurosaki on his use of a Cero."

"Look, I accidently knocked the gate guard out, so I had to open the gate another way, okay?" It's not like his entrance was any more flashy than the one the others had made. In fact, it was probably less conspicuous. The only ones who saw him were the Shinigami in the immediate vicinity, rather than the entirety of the Seireitei.

"Nothing we can do about it now. We'll just have to be more careful." Ichigo heard Yoruichi sigh. "Listen up. First order of business is to find where Rukia is located. Byakuya and Renji are the Captain and Vice-Captain of the Sixth Division. It's likely that she would be in their holding cells."

"And if she's not?" Chad asked.

"The next most likely place is the Senzaikyu, the Shrine of Penitence."

Ichigo could hear someone doing something with their phone. Then Ishida replied. "I am closest to the Sixth Division. I will check for Rukia there. The rest of you head for the Senzaikyu in case she is not." Ichigo blinked.

"Wait a sec. How do you know where the Sixth Division is?"

"I used the Seireitei Map app of course."

Ichigo blinked again and looked at his phone. "This thing has a map?"

"Kurosaki, did you not read the instruction manual when Urahara gave us these?"

"Um…You said go to the Senzaikyu, right? Okay, I'm on my way." Ichigo hung up. They were one step closer now. They were inside, everyone was unhurt and fighting fit, and they had a definite idea of where to start searching.

_We're here, Rukia. We're going to save you, even if I have to kick the ass of every Shinigami in this place._ Resolve set, Ichigo began fiddling with his phone, trying to find the map function.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: …I can't think of anything even marginally witty to say. I don't own Bleach.**

**AN: I have no clue where the actual divisions are located in the Seireitei. I had no luck finding a canon map of the place. If anyone knows where I can find one, it would be greatly appreciated. Until then, be advised that I'm making any locations up as I go along. **

**AN 2: Congratulations and thank you to Love Psycho for being the tenth reviewer of this humble fanfic.**

Uryuu Ishida crept through the halls of the Sixth Division's headquarters, eyes, ears, and reiatsu sense searching for any hint of someone coming. Unlike Kurosaki, he had no problems suppressing his reiatsu for stealth purposes. His task was made even easier by the fact that nearly everyone was out hunting for them. Ishida smirked. _I guess they never considered that we might try infiltrating the divisions themselves._

Ishida glanced around a corner and finally spotted what he was looking for, a map of the buildings. The map of Seireitei in his phone was immensely helpful, but it didn't show the insides of the divisions. He needed to find the detention center. He also wanted to be able to avoid the Captain's and Lieutenant's quarters. As much as he wanted to pay back that red-haired Shinigami for his defeat, now was not the time to seek him out. Ishida quickly memorized the map (which was helpfully labeled, likely for the convenience of new recruits) then moved as quickly as he dared toward his destination.

-x-

Toshiro Hitsugaya, Captain of Squad 10, stared dumbfounded at the gaping hole in Seireitei's wall that a few hours ago had been the White-Road Gate. All around him, Fourth Division members were assisting the injured and cleaning up rubble that used to be the gate. Several members of the Twelfth Division were there as well, various sensors in hand. Toshiro rubbed his forehead. He and the rest of the Captains had been in a meeting this morning about the unauthorized Senkaimon that opened yesterday when the alert was sounded. He, along with everyone else in the Seireitei, had seen something crash into and actually penetrate the barrier. The Captains had been dismissed back to their divisions to coordinate teams to search for the ryoka. The youngest captain had returned to find his division in disarray and a clear view of West Rukongai.

"Captain."

"Matsumoto. Any idea what happened?"

"According to the witnesses, right before that whatever-it-was hit the barrier, they heard something large slam into the gate. It can be assumed that was Jidanbo, who was found unconscious outside. Within a few seconds of the barrier being struck, the gate exploded inward. The Twelfth Division is currently investigating what caused it. At least one ryoka entered. Sketches are being compiled, but the initial description is that of an orange-haired man in a white shihakusho, carrying a sword as long as he is tall. He disabled three Shinigami before making his escape into the Seireitei." Hitsugaya had to work hard to contain his smile. His lieutenant may be a slacker when it comes to paperwork, but in times like this she could be very efficient. "Moh~. I was going to go drinking tonight. Now I'm going to be stuck sorting this mess out," she pouted. Hitsugaya resisted the urge to face-palm. All feelings of pride for his subordinate evaporated.

"Captain Hitsugaya." Toshiro turned to look at the Twelfth Division technician. "We've analyzed the reiatsu signature remaining on the pieces of the gate and have been able to conclude that what destroyed the gate was a Cero."

Hitsugaya and Matsumoto's eyes widened. "A Cero?"

"Yes, sir. Quite a powerful one judging by the debris pattern."

"Matsumoto. Stay here and continue the investigation. I need to inform the Commander-General." Hitsugaya turned and was gone in a flash. There was a powerful Hollow loose in the Seireitei. They needed to find it and kill it before the body count started rising. _Invaders from the sky and a Hollow tearing down one of the gates. How can this get – No! Don't think it! The universe is always listening!_

-x-

Rukia stared out the small window in her cell. They would be moving her to the Senzaikyu soon, and the only thing she would see from there would be the Sokyoku.

"Hey wait! Who are you?" Rukia jumped and spun around at the sound of Hanataro's panicked voice. Her eyes nearly bugged out of her head at the sight of the figure striding into the detention block.

"Well, it seems I was right to check here first. How are you Ms. Kuchiki?" Ishida pushed his glasses up his nose, voice undeniably smug.

"Ishida? How? Why?"

"In order: Indeed, with Urahara's help, and to rescue you of course. I can't wait to see Kurosaki's face when he hears that I found you before he did." Yep, that was definitely the Quincy Rukia remembered. Then her thoughts caught up with Ishida's last statement.

"Ichigo's here?" How could he be here? Last she had seen he had been bleeding out on the pavement as she passed through the Senkaimon. She hadn't even known whether or not he had survived.

"Of course he's here. Sado and Inoue are here as well." Chad and Orihime? They had all come for her? Rukia's mind was spinning. Here she was, resigning herself to her fate and then she finds out four human teenagers had broken into Soul Society to rescue her. She couldn't decide if she should cry in happiness that they had come for her, or yell at Ishida for their stupidity.

"Well this is interesting. If it isn't the Quincy I nearly killed a couple weeks ago." Rukia's head snapped to the door, where Renji and four members of the Correctional Force stood. "I was told to bring Rukia to the Senzaikyu. Instead I find one of the ryoka." He turned to the Correctional Force. "Take Rukia. I'll deal with the ryoka." A flash of blue light was the only warning Renji got before arrows shot past him, burying themselves in the chests of the Correctional Force members. Renji turned back to see Ishida holding a more ornate bow than he had used before.

"Oops. My finger slipped," the Quincy deadpanned. He fired again, and Renji barely got his Zanpakuto drawn in time to block it. The red-haired Shinigami moved to retaliate but stopped and looked down at the sound of something clattering across the floor. His eyes widened when he saw the glowing silver tube. He dove out of the detention block and into the hall moments before the tube released an explosion that would have taken his legs off.

-x-

Uryuu cursed. He'd been hoping to take the Shinigami down quickly. Now, if he tried to free Rukia and flee, Abarai would simply chase them down. The archer would have to defeat the Lieutenant, return to collect Rukia, and make his escape before reinforcements arrived. _Yes, like that is going to happen. So much for Plan A._ He turned to Rukia. "I'm afraid you'll have to wait a bit longer, Kuchiki." He took off down the corridor, leaving a speechless Rukia in her cell and an unconscious Hanataro on the floor.

-x-

"Howl, Zabimaru!"

Renji's Zanpakuto shot down the corridor, but the Quincy neatly sidestepped it and jumped over the follow-up slice. Renji recalled his blade, then was forced to duck under a trio of arrows. This was not a good situation. Zabimaru was best used for wide, sweeping attacks in wide-open areas. Inside the narrow hallways his options were severely limited. The Quincy, using a bow, had no such issues. The fact that in just two weeks the archer had gone from a lower seated officer up to Vice-Captain level just things that much more difficult.

Trying to get some distance from his opponent, Renji thrust his hand out, palm aimed at the Quincy. "Hado 31! Shakkaho!" A bright red ball of flame shot down the hall, colliding with one of the Quincy's arrows. The collision caused an explosion that rocked the building and filled the hallway with smoke. Opening his eyes a crack, Renji caught sight of sunlight. Grinning, Renji leaped through the hole in the roof the blast had made. He readied Zabimaru and waited for his opponent to emerge.

-x-

Ishida couldn't help but smirk. In their last fight, Abarai had defeated him easily. Now he had him on the run. Ishida looked up at the ceiling. Abarai seemed to think that getting out into the open would give him the advantage. _I think I'll disabuse him of that notion._ Ishida raised his bow and took aim at the Shinigami's reiatsu signature.

-x-

Renji grunted in pain when a barrage of arrows speared through the roof and into his body. Renji coughed up blood; one of the arrows had hit his left lung. Of course the damn Quincy would find a way to hit him without coming out in the open. Renji grudgingly admitted he was losing this fight. The archer had the advantage of range and didn't seem at all hampered by his opponent not being in view. He skipped sideways to avoid another flurry of arrows chewing through the roof, swearing out loud as he aggravated his injuries. Renji continued dodging volleys of arrows as he tried to think of a way to get at his opponent before he either bled out or drowned in his own blood.

Too late, he realized just what the Quincy was doing. He was still on the same part of the roof he had started on. Every volley the archer fired had been aimed to make him dodge a certain way, keeping him on the rapidly deteriorating roof! As the realization hit him, Renji's foot came down on a severely weakened section, and it gave way under his weight.

-x-

Ishida's smirk widened. He loved it when a plan came together. Thanks to superior tactics and planning, he had just defeated one Soul Society's Vice-Captains with no injuries and almost no effort. He walked over to Abarai, who was pinned by the rubble.

"You…son of a…bitch," Abarai gasped.

"Still conscious? You're a hardy one." Ishida contemplated putting an arrow through the Shinigami's head, but killing an already beaten opponent didn't sit right with him. "If you'll excuse me, I need to go rescue Ms. Kuchiki before your friends show up." He started to turn away.

"Wait…damn it!" Ishida looked back at the downed Lieutenant. "Why? Why would... you come here? You're all going to die! All you're doing is *cough* giving Rukia false hope, you bastard!" His yelling ended when he started coughing up blood.

Ishida's eyes narrowed. "Strange. Why would someone who wants to put her to death care how she feels?"

"You think I want to do it? I don't! She and I used to be best friends!" Renji's face was a mask of pain. "But it's the law. And Sixth Division prides itself on upholding the law no matter what."

"I see." Ishida knelt down so he could look in Renji's eyes. "You yell and curse at us for giving her hope, because part of you is screaming to join us. Pathetic."

"You-!"

"Will you be able to live with yourself? Knowing that you did your absolute best to make sure your friend got the death penalty?" Ishida could feel more Shinigami coming. It was time to leave. With one last look at Abarai, the Quincy activated his Hirenkyaku, and vanished.

Renji finally gave up the fight against the encroaching darkness and passed into the sweet painless bliss of unconsciousness.

As Ishida escaped he mentally tallied the objectives he had achieved. He had found out where Rukia was being held, but it was likely she would be moved once the higher ups discovered their goal was to rescue her. Renji Abarai's interference had prevented him from rescuing her now, but his original objective had simply been to confirm her location and the Lieutenant had been disabled in the process. Ishida didn't know how good Shinigami healing techniques were, but Abarai's wounds would likely take a few days at the least to be patched up. All in all, he'd call it a success. He quickly found a place to hide and pulled out his phone.

-x-

Chad's magenta and black armored fist collided with the face of a rather unfortunate Shinigami. The mook flew through the air, finally coming to a stop when he landed on a group of his fellows. As that bunch went down, however, several more stepped up to take their place. Chad sighed. He could keep this up all day, but these guys didn't seem to take the hint. He looked down as his pocket started to buzz.

As Chad retrieved his phone, a dozen assailants jumped him, trying to take advantage of his distraction. They had the misfortune of slamming face first into a glowing orange shield. What looked like a razor-edged boomerang followed the shield, slicing at hands and arms, forcing the Shinigami to drop their blades.

Orihime didn't like hurting people. All life was precious to her. Hachi had seized on that fact during her training, pointing out that if all life is precious, so was her own life. If she didn't attack, her shield would eventually fall before an endless onslaught, and that precious life would be taken from her. So she found ways to make her opponents stop attacking her without killing them.

"Ishida found Rukia," Chad said, standing back to back with Orihime, returning his phone to his pocket.

"Really? That's great! Did he rescue her? Oh, it would be just like a fairy tale! The white knight riding to the rescue, saving the beautiful princess…," Orihime continued on, daydreaming of the perfect romance that would spawn between the two as a result. Chad shook his head as Orihime babbled on about horses and castles and epic battles against killer rabbits and wise old men who asked questions to see if you were worthy of crossing a bridge.

"Well, you two seem like you're having fun."

"Would you mind terribly if we joined in?" Chad and Orihime's eyes snapped to the pair of figures standing on top of a nearby wall. One was tall and bald. The other had a full head of perfectly styled hair and some weird feather looking things on his right eyebrow and eyelashes. The pair dropped down to street level.

"Looks like we lucked out, eh, Yumichika?"

"I believe it was the woman's beauty that drew us here, Ikkaku."

Chad and Orihime readied themselves as the strange pair drew their Zanpakuto.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. I am sending my ninja minions to rectify this.**

**AN: I'd like to take this time to address some of the reviews I got and clear up a few things.**

**Nexus the 13****th****- I am aware that Arrancar in canon don't have Zanpakuto spirits. However, this is a fanfiction. In my story, they do have spirits. An in-story explanation will be coming at some point in the future.**

**BlazingFireAngelXXX- Ichigo did not use Resureccion back in Chapter 4, nor has he used it yet on screen. Don't worry; we'll be seeing it soon. An odachi is a Japanese "great sword"; effectively it's a katana with a blade around 4 or 5 feet long. In his sealed state, Ichigo looks human, except for being deathly pale, having yellow on black eyes, his mask fragment, and his Hollow hole.**

**I always welcome questions about things that my readers find unclear. I am writing and editing this myself, and there is always the chance that I will legitimately miss an important detail. I'm relying on you all to help me keep the quality of this story up.**

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><p>Chad and Orihime stared as the bald man began performing an odd dance.<p>

"Lucky, lucky, lucky, lu~cky!" Ikkaku chanted as he danced. His friend waited patiently for him to finish.

"Maybe we can sneak away while he's busy?" Orihime asked.

"Doubt it."

"LUCKY!" Ikkaku finished, landing in a Horse Stance, sword held horizontal before him. Orihime politely began to clap. Ikkaku smiled and took a bow. "Thank you, thank you. Now that I've finished my dance, it's time to get to the fighting." The bald Shinigami sized up the two ryoka. "I'll take the big one. Yumichika, you can have the girl."

Yumichika didn't have time to protest before Ikkaku leaped at Chad. The 5th Seat looked at Orihime. He seemed to be struggling with something. He raised his sword, lowered it, raised it, and lowered it again. "I…I cannot do it!" Orihime blinked at the Shinigami's statement. "That lovely figure! Your angelic face! Your lustrous hair! I cannot bring myself to tarnish such beauty!" He fell to his knees and began to cry. Meanwhile Orihime was blushing from his compliments, unsure of what to do.

-Ikkaku vs. Chad-

Ikkaku's blade bounced off Chad's armored right arm. Rather than being surprised, Ikkaku's mouth split into a shark-like grin. He launched a flurry of thrusts at Chad's face and torso, and grinned even wider when Chad blocked every one. "You're pretty tough. Let's try this!" Ikkaku came at Chad in a series of wide, looping slashes, interspersed with strikes from his sheath. Chad blocked and dodged, keeping an eye on Ikkaku's hands.

_If I can catch his sword, I can make an opening._ Ikkaku spun around, building up power for a strong slice. _There._ Chad lunged forward, left arm pulled back to punch, right up to block the…sheath? Ikkaku had switched hands while they were out of Chad's sight and he now had a clear shot at Chad's torso. Chad didn't have time to get out of the way, so he finished his punch.

Chad felt ribs crack when his fist connected with Ikkaku's side, even as the Shinigami's sword scored a hit across his chest. The force of the punch threw Ikkaku back, but he landed on his feet. Chad's left hand went to the open wound, while Ikkaku staggered, favoring his left side.

"That…was a damn good hit. You're a strong one. What's your name?"

"Yasutora Sado."

"'Tiger', huh? A good name for a big guy like you. I'm Ikkaku Madarame. Let's be friends, eh, Sado?"

"…Aren't we trying to kill or seriously injure each other?"

"So? A lot of my friends were trying to kill me when we first met."

"…My friends call me Chad."

-Orihime "vs." Yumichika-

Unable to bear seeing him unhappy, Orihime was attempting to comfort the sobbing Shinigami, as his love of combat warred with his love of all things beautiful.

-Chad vs. Ikkaku-

"Well, Chad, it seems I've been insulting you by not fighting seriously." Ikkaku lifted his Zanpakuto and sheath. "Let me make up for it! Grow, Hozukimaru!" Ikkaku slammed the butt of his sword into the sheath and the two merged began to merge into one. In seconds, Ikkaku's sword had transformed into a spear. "Watch yourself, Chad. Underestimate Hozukimaru and you might DIE!" Ikkaku lunged, Zanpakuto thrusting toward Chad's face.

Chad was not inexperienced at fighting spear users. Lisa Yadomaru had spent some time knocking him around during the ten days of training. The female Vizard was also considerably faster than Ikkaku. Chad easily swept the spear aside and drew back his armored right fist.

"Break, Hozukimaru!"

Chad's eyes widened as the spear separated in two places, curving around his back, the blade aiming for his neck. Chad blocked, but this time steel bit into his armor, slicing the skin beneath it. The giant backpedaled as Ikkaku yanked the three-sectioned staff back.

"First lesson on fighting Shinigami, Chad. What you see isn't always what you get."

Chad frowned. The Shinigami was right of course. The wound on his arm wasn't very deep, but only because his armor had stopped most of the blade's cutting power. Without out it, he likely would have been literally disarmed. Zanpakuto abilities were unpredictable and very seldom could one divine their powers just by looking. And after fighting former Captains and Vice-Captains for ten days he should have remembered it. "Thank you for the advice, Ikkaku. But you should do the same." The flange on his right shoulder snapped open and began emitting reiatsu. "Don't judge my power by what you've seen so far." Then he charged.

Ikkaku tried to interpose Hozukimaru's blade between him and the onrushing teen. But he underestimated just how much destructive power was behind the coming strike.

"El Directo."

-x-

The explosion of reiatsu nearly caused Orihime and Yumichika to jump out of their skins. They nearly did so again when Ikkaku's limp, smoking body blew past them and smashed into the far wall. Yumichika's waterworks immediately stopped and he ran to check on his friend. Orihime turned to see Chad walking up, his chest and right arm bleeding freely. "Quick, lie down, Chad. I'll have you patched up in a minute." She started to activate the Soten Kisshun, but stopped. "Mr. Yumichika, can you bring Mr. Ikkaku over here please?"

-Elsewhere-

Ichigo turned towards where he felt Chad's reiatsu spike. According to his map, it seemed like it was coming from somewhere over by the Eleventh Division. Ichigo himself was somewhere near the Thirteenth.

The Arrancar was not in a good mood right now. Grand Fisher and Shrieker hadn't been lying about how good Shinigami smell, and he was practically salivating. Within his first five hours in the Seireitei he had consumed nearly a third of his Hollow Supplement Pills trying to lessen his hunger. Instead it just kept getting worse.

"Die!"

Ichigo growled as a Shinigami leapt at him, Zanpakuto swinging. A sweep of his arm shattered the blade and a roundhouse kick sent the surprised Shinigami into unconsciousness. Originally, Ichigo had tried to use his own Zanpakuto to combat his assailants. That had been a bad idea. The scent of Shinigami blood on his sword had nearly driven him over the brink and he hastily returned Zangetsu to his sheath. Now he was stuck relying on martial arts and his steel hard skin to protect himself. And again, his damn stomach just wouldn't shut up!

Ichigo jumped over a group of Shinigami and took off running. He had to get away from these low level grunts. Every minute it got harder to resist taking a bite out one of them, and if he lost control he would likely cause a massacre. He needed to find a storehouse or a restaurant he could raid. Shinigami had to eat somewhere, didn't they?

-x-

Commander-General Yamamoto stared down the line of Captains. Zaraki had not been found yet. He was out hunting the ryoka, which meant he could be anywhere from Sokyoku Hill to Rukongai District 80 if he was taking directions from his Lieutenant. One of his students, Jushiro Ukitake, was ill and had been unable to make it on such short notice. And it had been very short notice. Less than an hour after ordering the Captains to organize their divisions to search for the ryoka, Captain Hitsugaya had returned with urgent news. The Commander-General had immediately recalled the Captains for a briefing. Yamamoto nodded to the youngest Captain for him to begin.

"Its very likely there is a Menos class Hollow loose in the Seireitei." All the Captains, who up to this point had been wondering why they were back together so soon, immediately focused all their attention on Hitsugaya. "Around the same time the ryoka entered, the White-Road Gate was completely obliterated. Twelfth Division's scanners determined that the cause was a Cero. Several of my subordinates were attacked by the intruder. The victims have not yet regained consciousness, so I have not been able to gain their insight into the incident, but there were other witnesses. However, what they described doesn't sound like any Hollow I've ever come in contact with."

Mayuri Kurotsuchi scoffed. "And what is that supposed to mean? Hollows come in all shapes and sizes. Something odd looking is nothing to worry about."

"Really?" Hitsugaya focused on Mayuri. "What was described to me was a pale skinned Shinigami with orange hair, dressed in a white shihakusho, wearing a Zanpakuto as long as he is tall on his back. Several of the witnesses noticed what looked like a piece of a Hollow mask on the left side of his face. Tell me, Captain Kurotsuchi, is this something we should worry about?"

You could hear a pin drop in the hall. What Hitsugaya was describing was something all of them had heard of, but only the oldest Captains had actually encountered.

Mayuri had to make a conscious effort to not start drooling. "An Arrancar. With a perfectly human shape you say?" Hitsugaya nodded and the Head of the Shinigami Research Institute nearly started dancing for joy right there. An actual Arrancar. Here in the Seireitei! It was a dream come true! He would need to make plans to capture it immediately. A living specimen would yield so much more information than a corpse.

The Captains of the 10th, 8th, 6th, 4th, and 2nd Divisions discreetly shuffled away from the scientist as he began mumbling under his breath and cackling maniacally.

Hitsugaya felt a brief pang of sympathy for the Hollow that he had just brought to the attention of the nutjob. If it was lucky, one of the other Captains would kill it quickly before Kurotsuchi got his hands on it.

Byakuya Kuchiki was wondering what else could possibly go wrong today. First a ryoka broke into his divison headquarters, without him noticing. Then that same ryoka defeated his Lieutenant, while causing severe collateral damage to the building itself in the process. Then, just to rub it in, the ryoka managed to escape. Now there was an Arrancar running around the Seire….Wait a second. "Did you say the Arrancar had orange hair?"

"Yes? Why do you ask?" Toshiro asked, confused as to why the Arrancar's hair color would get a reaction from the Captain of Sixth Division.

"Zanpakuto as long as he is tall?"

"What are you driving at, Captain Kuchiki?" Captain Aizen asked.

"That description matches the human Rukia transferred her powers to."

Once again, absolute silence descended on the Captains' meeting hall.

-x-

Ichigo sneezed. _Tell me I'm not catching a cold on top of all my other problems._ The Arrancar had yet to find something to eat that was not human shaped. He'd been chased all over by the rank and file Shinigami. Every time he got away from one group, another would show up to take their place. Eventually, Ichigo had dashed into a forest in an effort to lose them. After a rather lengthy chase, he had succeeded in getting away. He stayed in the woods, wandering in search of any local wildlife. It was a long shot, but he couldn't go after Rukia until he sated his appetite. It would defeat the purpose of coming to rescue her if he was so hungry he ended up eating her. _And despite that disturbing and morbid thought, I'm not freaking out. This is really fucking with my head._

Ichigo's train of thought derailed when he caught a whiff of something cooking. _I smell…fish. Better than nothing._ The Arrancar followed his nose to a small estate. The quick glance around showed no one in the immediate area. Moving stealthily, Ichigo slid a door open, revealing a tray of food set next to a futon. Ichigo nearly had a heart attack when he noticed the futon was occupied. Fortunately the man seemed to be asleep.

Carefully, Ichigo tip-toed over to the tray and reached down. Moving slowly, so that none of the dishes rattled, the Arrancar lifted the tray and made to turn back to the door. Unfortunately, the reiatsu he was leaking brushed against the sleeper's senses. The white haired man rolled over and opened his eyes, sleepy green meeting Hollow amber.

"Kaien?"

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><p><strong>Ain't I a stinker? I was thinking, "What is the absolute worst place in Soul Society for Ichigo to end up?"<strong>


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: My ninja minions have failed. I still don't own Bleach. **

**AN: I'm starting to understand why Kyugan refers to himself as a "review-whore". Nothing puts a smile on my face like seeing the new reviews from you guys.**

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><p>When Kiyone Kotetsu and Sentaro Kotsubaki arrived at their Captain's estate they had been expecting to find Ukitake resting. What they were hearing was definitely not "restful" by any stretch of word.<p>

"How dare you take my Vice-Captain's form, monster!" The yelling was accompanied by what sounded like clashing swords and running feet.

"Take? I've always looked like this!" There was a brief pause. "Scratch that. The mask, hole, eyes, and skin are new."

"Kaien shall *cough* be avenged!"

"Damn it, you're spitting up blood, you moron! Go back to bed or I'll put you there myself!" At that, Kiyone and Sentaro snapped out of their daze and dashed for the door.

"Not until you're dead!"

"You stubborn… Take this! Doctor Kurosaki Style! Unruly Patient Takedown!" The third seats of the 13th Division slammed the door open just in time to see their Captain falling victim to a flashy, devastating looking technique.

"Captain Ukitake!" United in purpose for once, the two Shinigami went for their Zanpakuto. They were forced to stop when their throats were grabbed in a pair of vice-like grips and they found themselves staring into a pair of yellow on black eyes.

"I…am having a very bad day. All I want is to find something to eat that won't weigh on my conscience. Is that so much to ask?" Kiyone and Sentaro jerkily shook their heads, hands trying to loosen the grips on their necks. "I've spent all day denying the temptation of an easy meal, and all I've gotten for my trouble is to be chased all over the damn place and your stupid Captain trying to kill me when he really should be resting. Does that sound fair to you?" Another round of shaking heads. "And to top it off, I had to use one of my stupid old man's techniques to stop him. Goat-chin will never let me live it down if he finds out about this!" Sentaro and Kiyone glanced at each other in confusion at that last statement. "Now, where is the kitchen? Headband, you tell me." Sentaro gulped air as the hand on his throat loosened.

"Th…through that door and down the hall. Third door on your left. Can't miss it."

"Thank you. I'm going to get something to eat. You're going to put your Captain back in bed and then wait for me to get back so we can talk. Got it?" The pair of third seats nodded and were unceremoniously dropped on their rears.

-Thirty Minutes Later-

Ukitake awoke to a rather strange scene. His third seats were sitting next to each other, perfectly silent and completely still. Actually, strange was an understatement. Bickering was the pair's natural state of being when within ten meters of each other. This…this was a sign of the apocalypse.

"Not going to attack me this time?"

Ukitake turned his head to see the figure seated on his other side. There was the Arrancar he had mistaken for his former Lieutenant. "Why are we still alive?"

"Huh?"

"You had me dead to rights. My subordinates would not have been able to stop you. Why haven't you eaten us?"

"Do you want me to?" He sounded pretty irritated over the issue.

"Not particularly."

"Then I'm content with having cleaned out your kitchen."

Ukitake blinked at that and turned to his third seats.

"He means it literally, sir," Sentaro said.

"He ate everything. There isn't a single crumb of anything left. I think he even ate some of the utensils; you seem to be short a few chopsticks," Kiyone added.

This marked the first time Ukitake had ever seen a Hollow acting sheepish. "Normal food doesn't fill me up very well anymore. Hollows are a lot more filling, but they're kind of in short supply here.

"I see. You're one of the ryoka I assume? What do you hope to accomplish?" Jushiro was somewhat surprised by how calm he was. In his current condition, he would stand no chance against the Arrancar if it suddenly decided to attack, but he didn't feel worried at all. When he attacked earlier, the boy had merely disabled instead of killing him. The person in front of him was acting more like a typical human teenager than a bloodthirsty monster.

"We came to rescue Rukia Kuchiki."

All three members of the 13th Division started. "To save Kuchiki?" Sentaro asked.

The Arrancar scowled. "Didn't I just say that?"

"Why would an Arrancar care about a Shinigami?" Kiyone sounded suspicious.

Ukitake raised a hand to forestall any more questions from either side. "Ms. Kuchiki is a member of my division. Naturally none of us want to see her executed. I am curious to know why you would go to such lengths for her."

The Arrancar sighed, shifted to a more comfortable sitting position, and began to tell them everything that had happened while Rukia was out of contact in the Living World.

-x-

Renji Abarai awoke to an unfamiliar ceiling. It took him a moment to realize he was in the 4th Division, and the pain in his chest reminded him why.

"_Knowing that you did your absolute best to make sure your friend got the death penalty?"_

Renji groaned and covered his eyes with his arm. That damn Quincy's voice.

"_Will you be able to live with yourself?"_

Now that the question had been asked, definitely not. The guilt that had niggled at the back of his mind had grown to great to ignore. He felt sick. Had he and Rukia actually drifted so far apart that he had been willing to put her to death?

_Zabimaru._

The great white baboon with a snake for a tail appeared before him.

"What do you…" the baboon started.

"…Want now?" the snake finished.

"When I'm healed, I'm going to take your challenge."

"You want…"

"…Bankai?"

"Yes."

"And what will you…"

"…Use it for?"

"To save Rukia."

"Even if all of…"

"…Seireitei becomes your enemy?"

"Yes."

The baboon and snake both grinned.

"When you are ready…"

"Summon me again, Renji."

Renji closed his eyes and drifted back off to sleep. _I'm going to do what I should have been done from the start._

-x-

Yoruichi lay on top of the building directly across from the 2nd Division's headquarters. Specifically, she had placed herself to look in the open window of what used to be her office. Sitting at the desk was her former student.

_Well, well, well. You've really grown up haven't you, Soifon?_

The former Captain's eyes narrowed when she saw the massive sack of lard that was the Vice-Captain. How did someone like that ever make it in her division? Clearly standards had fallen while she was away. If Yoruichi were still in charge, she would have had the overweight noble running laps until his bulk turned to muscle or he died. She'd take either outcome really.

Come to think of it, she was having a far too easy time of this. There wasn't even anyone watching her for crying out loud! Granted, cats did whatever the hell they pleased – one of the reasons she transformed into one – but a cat in the Seireitei? There should have been Onmitsukido watching her every move the second she got within a kilometer of headquarters.

Yoruichi stood up and stretched. _I think I'll show them the importance of staying alert._ If any members of the 2nd Division had been watching her, they would have immediately sounded a red-alert. A cat leering maliciously was definite cause for concern.

-x-

Soifon watched her Lieutenant jiggle out of the room. Once she was alone she let out a sigh. She glared at the paperwork in front of her, willing it to spontaneously combust. She wanted to be out hunting down the ryoka or that Arrancar. But no, she had to stay here and coordinate the messengers running back and forth between the divisions.

_Lady Yoruichi would have just ordered someone else to do it and gone out anyway._

Soifon shook her head, trying to dispel the thought of her predecessor and former mistress. It didn't matter what Yoruichi would have done. That woman wasn't Captain anymore. It was Soifon who ran things now.

"Captain Soifon! There's trouble in the barracks!" One of her subordinates dashed through the door, clad only in his boxers. Soifon turned her ice-cold gaze on him and the man cringed.

"Are the ryoka here?"

"Um…no, ma'am."

"Is the Hollow here?"

"No, ma'am."

Soifon's expression became even colder. "Then what, pray tell, could cause so much trouble you thought it necessary to rush over here and interrupt my work, **wearing nothing but your underwear**?"

"All the uniforms have been stolen, ma'am."

The Onmitsukido member had the once in a lifetime opportunity to see his Captain utterly flabbergasted. "Excuse me?"

"Every uniform in the barracks has been stolen. Whether it was in lockers, on hooks, in the laundry, or being worn," the man gestured to his near nakedness. "I saw only a brown blur before my uniform was gone." He hung his head in shame.

Soifon opened her mouth to question him further, but something drew her attention out her office window. Standing on top of the next building over, wearing what Soifon guessed was one of the stolen uniforms, was a masked female figure. Next to her was a massive bundle that likely contained the rest of the missing articles of clothing. The figure waved, grabbed the bundle, and vanished. Soifon jumped out the window and flashed away in pursuit.

-x-

Dressed in the outfit of a Secret Remote Squad member, Yoruichi grinned beneath her mask. She had just robbed her old division blind and her old student was now giving chase.

_Well, Soifon, how about a game of Tag?_

-x-

Soifon grit her teeth. She hadn't made any headway toward closing the gap between her and the thief. Whoever Soifon was chasing, she was a master of Shunpo. The most likely possibility flitted to the forefront of her mind. _No. It can't be her._ But who else could possibly manage to keep ahead of her, while carrying a large bag full of pilfered clothing? _She's been out of action for a century! I've worked myself to the bone! I should be able to catch her!_

-Hours Later-

The sun had long since gone down. Yoruichi gasped for breath, hands on her knees. "Tag" had turned into "Hide and Seek" about an hour into the chase. She had been forced to abandon the sack of uniforms not long after. The former Captain was glad she had worked to get back in shape before coming. She never would have been able to keep this up as long as she had otherwise. Yoruichi couldn't help but feel an incredible amount of pride for Soifon. The cute little girl she had once taught the basics of Shunpo was now without a doubt her equal in that regard.

Yoruichi reacted to a disturbance no one else would have noticed, dodging a flying kick that would have taken her head. _Looks like I'll be testing how far her combat skills have advanced now._

-x-

Soifon was nearing the point of exhaustion. The thief had led her on a merry chase for hours. Not long into the chase, Soifon had realized she left Suzumebachi behind in her office. She would have to disable the thief bare handed, and if she was who Soifon thought she was, that would not be an easy task.

"Are you…done running *gasp*, thief?" Soifon asked, trying not to look or sound as tired as she felt.

The masked thief simply crooked her finger, as if to say, "Come and get me." Soifon was more than happy to oblige.

The two women met in a flurry of punches, kicks, chops, locks, and counter-locks. Soifon grunted as a punch landed on her left shoulder and grinned when she connected with a kick to the ribs. The combatants sprang apart.

"One for one. Looks like a draw so far," Soifon said. After that exchange, she was absolutely certain. Yoruichi had returned from exile. The question was, why? The easiest way was to simply ask. "You might as well take off that mask, Yoruichi. I know it's you."

The thief reached up and removed the mask, revealing her mentor's grinning face. "Hey there, Soifon. How you doing?"

Soifon glared. "How am I doing? You abandoned me a hundred years ago, and the first time I see you in over a century, you're stealing clothes? What are you up to, Yoruichi?"

"Oh, nothing much. I just wanted to see how my cute little bee was doing, and I found my old Division has really gone down the tubes. So I thought I'd give you all a kick in the pants.

I mean, honestly, Soifon, how did that fat fool end up Vice-Captain of the 2nd Division? Really, he's not in any way ninja material. And another thing, about the security…" Yoruichi continues on, listing each and every thing she had found lacking in the 2nd Division, from the inattentiveness of its security forces, to the lack of actual skill of the Onmitsukido in trying to apprehend her. When she started berating her successor on the poor quality of the tuna sandwiches being served in the mess hall today, Soifon snapped and attacked her.

"Shut up! Do you have any idea how hard I've worked? How hard it was to step out of your shadow? I took all your old positions and yet I was never good enough! 'She will never match her mentor', 'If only Yoruichi were still here' they whispered! They still do! Never mind that you betrayed us all! Never mind that I've done absolutely everything I could to make the 2nd Division better than it was when you were in charge!" Soifon's blows were growing wild now, her emotions stealing the precision from her strikes. "I will never be good enough! Everyone that served under you looks at me like a child trying on her mother's dress and make-up! 'Oh, isn't that cute? Now go back and play with your dolls, dear.'

"Why? What could cause you to betray us? Why would you leave? Why…why didn't you take me with you?"

-x-

Yoruichi caught her old student as she broke down. This…had not been what she intended. All Yoruichi had wanted to do was see how Soifon had grown over the years. The taunts had been just to make her fight her hardest. Instead…

_I'm so sorry, Soifon._

"I'm proud of you. You've done a splendid job." She wrapped Soifon in a hug as the younger woman sobbed.

* * *

><p><strong>What do you think? This chapter didn't go at all like I planned. Ukitake and Ichigo were supposed to have a massive battle in the woods, and Yoruichi was just going to play with Soifon a bit and escape. My fingers have minds of their own; that's the only explanation. However, I like what I've come up with to follow this even better than what was originally going to happen. Look forward to it.<strong>


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. Once again, I find myself at a loss for something amusing to say. Oh well. Humor has its good days and its bad days.**

**AN: I would like to thank Von Remington for my twentieth review. Digital cookies for you.**

**Please check my profile for an answer to Experimentnumber628's question about pairings.**

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><p>"Quite an exciting day, eh, Captain Aizen?"<p>

Sosuke Aizen turned to his old Lieutenant and smiled. There was no sign of the friendly Captain, liked by everyone. In his place was the man that normally hid behind the personable mask. "Indeed, Gin."

Aizen had left his Division headquarters in the middle of the night. His current Lieutenant, Momo Hinamori, was asleep in his office. Tonight, Sosuke Aizen would disappear.

"So, are we going to continue with the original plan?"

Aizen shook his head. "Why, when the ryoka have provided us with such a convenient cover? This way, there will not be any suspicion cast on you." Aizen drew his Zanpakuto and began crafting his illusion.

"Well that's nice. Of course like this, you won't be able to drive a wedge between Captain Ten and Momo," Ichimaru pointed out. "And at the rate those kids are going, they may actually pull their little rescue off."

Aizen paused in thought. The ryoka had taken down Renji Abarai, thrown the 6th and 10th Divisions into disarray thanks to the incidents that happened at their headquarters, and decimated most of the 11th Division in the first day of their invasion. In fact, if not for Abarai's timely intervention, the invasion would have already succeeded. And Ichigo Kurosaki remained a wild card. His becoming an Arrancar was something even Aizen had not seen coming (not that he'd let Gin or Tosen know that). Depending on the power of his Resureccion, the boy could be a fairly large spanner in the works at this stage in the game. "A good point, Gin. I think I'll use my time in hiding to pay a visit to Las Noches." After all, it was always good policy to have a backup plan or ten.

-x-

Ukitake stared at the night sky, mind working furiously. Rukia's sentence had made no sense when the verdict first arrived. Yes, giving Shinigami powers to a human was a serious crime, but not one that warranted execution, and certainly not by the Sokyoku.

After hearing Ichigo Kurosaki's story, things made even less sense. Rukia's reasoning for giving her powers would normally have been justifiable. Allow a Hollow to eat the soul of a human capable of breaking a Bakudo, as well as his spiritually sensitive sisters? That thing would have become an absolute menace; on par with the Grand Fisher. No, Kuchiki had made the right decision out of her limited options. She had even convinced the boy to take over her duties while she recovered, and he had done an excellent job. Until the incident with the Gillian, Soul Society had been completely unaware anything was amiss. Why was none of this taken into account? Why had none of it even been mentioned in the reports?

Even without all that, the Council 46 was made of the nobility. Adopted or not, Rukia was a noble, and the nobles would never give such a harsh sentence to one of their own. Everything pointed to one conclusion: Something was rotten in the Seireitei. And the only one to actually think what was happening was wrong was a human who had no clue about any of Soul Society's laws.

Jushiro had to admire Kurosaki. It wasn't just his physical features, the boy's personality and morals were very similar to Kaien Shiba. He could easily see Kaien raising all sorts of hell over this situation. The boy had been given a chance to return to a normal life. Instead he cast away his life as a human to gain the power he needed.

Ukitake's thoughts turned what he was going to do now. At the moment, Ichigo was asleep in one of his spare rooms, a Bakudo keeping his reiatsu hidden. Tomorrow the Arrancar would continue his crusade. The question was how Ukitake could be of aid to him? He'd planned to appeal to the Council 46, but he doubted now that that would accomplish anything. So what did he do?

So far, the only thing he could think of was telling Ichigo where the food warehouses were so that the Arrancar didn't succumb to his hunger. Ukitake groaned and massaged his forehead. There had to be some way he could do more to help.

-x-

Marked on the map of Seireitei Urahara provided were various boltholes, places the former Captain had constructed during his time as a member of the Gotei 13. All of them were stocked with bedding, food, and - most importantly for the invaders - lined in Sekkiseki to hide their occupants from detection. Urahara had used them when he wanted to get away from work. Tonight, one served as the perfect place for Ishida to get some sleep without worries.

-x-

Ikkaku had been incredibly grateful for Orihime's healing abilities. In his words, "Now I don't need to waste time recovering before I get in another fight!" In gratitude, he and Yumichika had given the two ryoka a pair of shihakusho, two asauchi (nameless Zanpakuto wielded by trainee Shinigami), a crash course on behaving like a member of the 11th Division, and rooms in the 11th Division barracks. Tomorrow Chad and Orihime would be able to travel around Seireitei with no one the wiser. When asked why they were doing so much to help, Ikkaku and Yumichika had simply shrugged and said they were doing their part to keep things interesting. Neither of the teens understood their logic, but they weren't about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

-x-

Soifon resisted the urge to beat her head against her desk. She had returned to her headquarters carrying the bag of stolen uniforms, with a black cat on her shoulders. She had given orders to return the uniforms to their owners and that she did not want to be disturbed, then locked herself in her office. Lady Yoruichi had just finished relating the story behind the events of a hundred years ago.

_A conspiracy that's been going on for centuries, and I was completely unaware of it until today._

Soifon weighed her options. Technically, she should immediately inform Commander General Yamamoto of what she knew. However, that course of action had some major problems. First, her source of information was an exile, and not doing everything in her power to kill her was technically dereliction of duty. Second, even if Lady Yoruichi were not a criminal, there was no actual evidence to support her story, and there was no way a treason charge against three Captains would stick without proof.

The best thing to do would be to subtly investigate Aizen, Ichimaru, and Tosen. However, "subtle" usually also meant "time consuming." If Lady Yoruichi was right, and Rukia Kuchiki's execution was in fact part of the conspiracy, time was something she didn't have.

"Lady Yoruichi, what do you think I should do?"

The cat looked at her. "Do what you think is best, Soifon. You're leader of the 2nd Division right now, not me." Her mentor smiled. "I want to see how you've grown, Soifon. I've given you all the information you need. From now on, treat me as just another one of your subordinates."

Soifon simultaneously beamed in happiness that her teacher had faith in her leadership abilities, and was mortified at the thought of giving her mistress orders.

_I won't let you down, Lady Yoruichi._

-x-

Rukia curled up on the cot in her cell. Her brother had come by to inform her that she would be moved to the Senzaikyu tomorrow. This time, her escort would be Byakuya and Captain Komamura. Rukia felt tears sliding down her cheeks. For a brief time that afternoon, she had let herself hope. Seeing Ishida and hearing that her friends had come to save her had awakened her desire to live. But now it was impossible. They had lost their chance. No matter how much stronger Ichigo and Ishida may have become, they wouldn't be able to match two Captains.

_Please. All of you need to leave. Don't throw your lives away for me._

But a traitorous, selfish part of her continued to hope.

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><p><strong>Filler chapter, but important filler. What could Aizen be plotting? What plans will Ukitake and Soifon come up with? Will Ichigo and company succeed in rescuing Rukia tomorrow? I know the answers to all of these questions, but you all will have to wait and see. :P<strong>


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. I am attempting to convince Lelouch to Geass Tite Kubo into transferring the rights to me.**

**AN: "Not Quite as Planned" was posted two and a half weeks ago. In that time it has gotten 8026 hits, 30 reviews, 61 favs, 68 alerts, and 2 C2s. You all rock. **

**Enjoy the chapter and remember to review and tell me what you think.**

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><p>Ichigo was awakened by his growling stomach. The Arrancar cursed out loud. Last night he had consumed enough food to keep a dozen men full for a week. It was looking more and more like the only thing that could actually satisfy him was spiritual beings. Briefly he wondered if there were any death row inmates that actually deserved it. As soon as the thought crossed his mind, Ichigo punched himself in the face. That was not a line of thought he wanted to continue.<p>

Ichigo piled the bedding in a corner of the room then moved to the door. Hopefully Ukitake would be awake. He had to thank the Shinigami for his hospitality before he left. He paused when he heard voices through the thin walls.

-x-

"What do you mean Captain Aizen is dead?" Ukitake yelled.

The messenger shrank back from the angry Captain. Having someone of Ukitake's caliber mad at you could be extremely hazardous. "Captain Ichimaru brought his remains to the 4th Division early this morning. Exact cause of death has not been determined, but the body looks like it has been savaged by a Hollow."

Ukitake's eyes widened in shock. There was only one Hollow currently in the Seireitei that he was aware of, and Jushiro knew that he had been fast asleep last night. So either there was another Hollow loose in Soul Society (highly unlikely), or Aizen's death was connected to the conspiracy he was starting to see.

"I see. Inform Captain Unohana I'll be coming by to pay my respects later today."

"Yes, sir." The messenger vanished.

Ukitake turned to the closed door behind him. "You heard that, I assume?" The door slid open to reveal Ichigo. "You're going to have to be very careful today. The rest of the Captains will not take this laying down."

"Yeah. Thanks for the help." The Arrancar dropped down on the porch to put his sandals on.

"I wish I could do more."

"Don't worry about it." Ichigo stood up and strapped his Zanpakuto to his back. "We came here expecting to fight the Captains at some point. I went through hell to get strong enough to take you guys on."

Ukitake scowled at how casual the Arrancar was, as if fighting the strongest members of the Gotei 13 was something that didn't worry him at all. He opened his mouth to try and impress upon the Arrancar just how powerful Captain-class Shinigami were, but was interrupted by a buzzing from Ichigo's shihakusho.

"_Kurosaki, is there something you would like to tell us? The Shinigami outside are going nuts,"_ a teenage male voice came from the phone.

"I was framed?"

"_So you didn't attack and eat one of the Captains?"_ This time it was a young woman's voice.

"Unless I've started sleep walking, no."

"_Whether you actually did it or not won't matter."_ A third voice, one that sounded like an older man. _"The rest of the Captains will be out for your blood. If you run into one, don't hesitate. Run or release your Zanpakuto as soon as you get the chance."_

"I got it, Yoruichi." Well, at least the boy was smart enough to know he'd need to fight all out in order to wi…Wait a second.

"Yoruichi Shihoin?"

"_Jushiro? Ichigo, what the hell have you been up to?"_

"Um, kind of a long story, but the short version is the Captain and Third seats of the 13th Division are on our side now."

"…"

"_Your luck absolutely astounds me, Kurosaki. Only you would run into the only Shinigami in the Seireitei that would help us."_

"_Inoue, Ikkaku says we should probably leave now while everything's chaotic."_

"_Right, Chad. Talk to you later, everyone!"_

"…"

"_I stand corrected."_

"_Jushiro, you need to come talk to Soifon. The rest of you be careful. Try not to get killed."_

"_Got it."_

As Ichigo hung up, Ukitake shook his head. They certainly seemed to be an…interesting bunch. "You came here with Yoruichi Shihoin?"

"Yes. Why? Is he important?"

"Important? He? Mr. Kurosaki, Yoruichi Shihoin was the Captain of the 2nd Division one hundred years ago and the greatest master of Shunpo in Soul Society's history. She was known as "the Goddess of Flash."

"…Yoruichi's a woman?"

-4th Division Headquarters-

Retsu Unohana, Captain of the 4th Division, paused in her examination of Aizen's body. Unohana had seen wounds caused by Hollows thousands of times over her long life. While the wounds on Aizen's corpse certainly seemed in line with being attacked and killed by an Arrancar (deep slashes from a Zanpakuto and massive bites taken out of it), something was niggling at the back of her mind.

"Let me through! Let me see him!"

"Vice-Captain Hinamori, please! You can't go in while Captain Unohana is performing her examination."

Whatever it was she was missing, she would never figure it out with the distraught Lieutenant making all that noise. Unohana sighed and moved towards the door. She slid the door open to see Momo Hinamori and her own Lieutenant, Isane Kotetsu. Hinamori opened her mouth, but whatever she was going to say died in her throat when Unohana smiled at her.

"Vice Captain Hinamori, you are aware that this is a hospital, and that most of the people here are attempting to rest?" Hinamori nodded stiffly. "Then you will remember to keep your voice down from now on?" Hinamori nodded again and Unohana's smile shifted from terrifying to sad. "I am finished examining him for now. You can go in if you wish, so long as you do not disturb anything. I will warn you that it is a rather gruesome sight."

"Thank you, Captain Unohana."

-x-

Hinamori stepped past the woman into the examination room. Until she saw him herself, she would not believe that it was true. Steeling herself, Hinamori walked up to the examination table and looked at her Captain. It took all of her strength to not lose control at the sight.

There was very little of Aizen's body untouched. His torso was covered in deeps cuts and his right arm from the shoulder down was missing. His left arm was still there, but it looked like it had been stuck in a wood chipper. Both legs were horribly mangled, the skin and muscles ripped apart and the bones shattered beyond recognition. By far the worst, in Hinamori's opinion, was his face. Aizen's handsome face was simply not there. Instead, there was a bloody mess of torn flesh and crushed bones.

Hinamori didn't know how long she stood there staring at Aizen's corpse. It could have been only a few moments or a few hours.

"Momo?" Hinamori jumped when a hand settled on her shoulder. She turned around to see her childhood friend.

"Shiro?"

-x-

Hitsugaya didn't bother with his usual statement of, "It's Captain Hitsugaya!" Momo looked and sounded like her life was crashing down around her. She didn't even seem to notice the tears pouring down her cheeks. To see his normally vibrant friend like this was breaking the heart he normally hid behind his ice-cold demeanor. "Come on, Momo. Let's get you out of here."

"What? Bu-but, Shiro…!"

"No buts." He took Hinamori by the hand and dragged her out. She needed to be as far away from that room as possible. Toshiro nodded to Captain Unohana as they passed her. "You're going to stick with me today."

"But the 5th Division!"

"I'll send Matsumoto to oversee things. Right now, you need to be with friends more than anything." For now, he would keep an eye on Momo. Once he was sure she was going to be okay, he would be free to hunt down the monster that did this.

_You're going to regret making her cry, you bastard!_

-x-

"Hurry up with that equipment, you stupid girl! I want that Arrancar in a lab by the end of today!"

"Yes, sir."

-x-

"Which way, Yachiru?"

"That way, Kenny!"

And so, Kenpachi continued his search for the strongest of the ryoka.

-x-

Soifon rested her chin in her hands as she thought. Captain Ukitake had encountered the Arrancar and would be arriving soon to fill her in on the meeting. Hopefully the information he brought would help her come up with a plan. She was no closer to obtaining the proof she needed than she was last night. Even without Lady Yoruichi to tell her so, Soifon was certain she would have determined Aizen's death to be faked. Not only because she had testimony from a credible witness that the accused attacker had been sleeping soundly at the time, but also because a battle between a Captain-class Shinigami and an Arrancar strong enough to take him down would have been felt by all of the Seireitei. Really, why had no one else realized that?

Maybe if she brought that fact to the 12th Division's attention? All of them would see the apparent anomaly as a challenge to be solved and start pouring over the records from every sensor they had in Soul Society, looking for any hint of why the battle had not been noticed.

Soifon ran all the information she had on Aizen's "death" through her mind, which really wasn't much. The only witness was Captain Ichimaru. According to his testimony, he had come across the Arrancar eating Aizen alive and driven it off, but neglected to pursue in favor of trying to save Aizen's life. Gin had brought Aizen to the 4th Division, where he was declared dead.

According to Lady Yoruichi, Aizen was the mastermind of the current events. His "death" made it possible for him to move around freely. She needed to come up with something quickly.

_Hurry up, Ukitake. I need a lead, and I need it now._

-x-

Ishida peeked over the edge of the building he was hiding on top of, keeping his reiatsu as low as possible. Using a Quincy technique to enhance his eyesight, Ishida could easily see Rukia more than a kilometer away, flanked by a pair of Captains. He recognized one as the other Shinigami from that night, Byakuya Kuchiki. The other was a massive man, wearing a bucket-like helmet over his head. He watched as Rukia was escorted to the large white tower at Seireitei's center. The Quincy mentally cursed when, instead of leaving, the two Captains took up guard positions outside the tower. Apparently these two had no intention of hunting ryoka. Thanks to Ishida's actions yesterday, the invaders' goal was known. All they had to do was wait for the invaders to come to them.

Ishida considered his options. Proud of his skills he may be, but he was not stupid. If he could get one of the Captains on terrain that favored him, like he had done to Abarai yesterday, Ishida was confident he could win. Against two Captains, he would be slaughtered. The best choice for now was to simply wait for the others. He and Kurosaki could deal with the Captains while Chad and Inoue retrieved Rukia. Mind made up, Ishida settled in to wait.

-x-

Rukia looked around the cell. The walls were completely featureless. The cot was just as simple. The only break in the monotony was the single window, with its view of the Sokyoku. It was designed to make the occupant focus on their impending execution and the tool that would be used to carry it out. Rukia had to admit it was effective.

"You will remain here until the day of your execution." Rukia turned to face her brother. "Stare out that window every day and repent your crimes," Byakuya said.

"I gave a boy the power to save his family. How is that a crime?" Rukia had no idea what had come over her. With Byakuya and Captain Komamura guarding the Senzaikyu, Ichigo and the others would never get close to rescuing her. However, she found herself growing more defiant.

It gave her a thrill to see her brother's eyes widen slightly. But his next words brought her crashing back down.

"You ask how? Then the ryoka from yesterday did not inform you. Ichigo Kurosaki has become a Hollow. Thanks to your actions, he has become a monster and needs to be destroyed." With those parting words, the head of the Kuchiki family turned and swept out of the tower.

Rukia did not notice him leave. She did not notice when the cell door closed, sealing her inside. Her mind had locked up, struggling to process what Byakuya had just said. _A Hollow? But…Ishida said he was here! Did he lie? Is Brother lying?_ And then another thought struck her. _I've killed him. Because of me, Ichigo will die. I've killed him. Just like I killed Kaien._ Rukia's legs gave out and she fell to the floor, screaming in anguish.

-x-

Ichigo glanced around a corner. After leaving Ukitake, Ichigo had started making his way toward the center of the Seireitei. Avoiding the patrols had been easy. Too easy. In fact, there seemed to be far fewer patrols than yesterday. Ichigo had no idea how the Shinigami would respond to the death of one of their own, but decreasing the number of Shinigami looking for him definitely was not what he would do. Something was up.

The Arrancar's suspicions were confirmed when a wall of yellow light suddenly shot up in front of him. Spinning around confirmed that more walls were appearing. In seconds, a massive box of light had formed around Ichigo and the surrounding area.

"Crap." Ichigo immediately started charging a Cero. He needed to get out of here before whoever had set this trap showed up. That plan died as quickly as his Cero, which fizzled out the instant he tried to fire it. "What the hell?"

"Cero is the most basic of abilities among high level Hollows. I've long since developed a method of neutralizing them."

Ichigo looked over his shoulder to see the weirdest looking man he had ever seen in his life. Given Ichigo's father and Don Kanonji, that was saying something. The man's face was covered in makeup, making him look like a demented clown. _Oh shit. _He recognized this guy from the Vizards' descriptions. Mayuri Kurotsuchi: Captain of the 12th Division and head of the Shinigami Research Institute. He was also completely batshit insane according to Hiyori. A young woman stood next to him; his Lieutenant judging by the badge on her arm.

"I did not expect to catch you so eas-." Ichigo stopped listening, spinning and striking the glowing wall his Zanpakuto. The blade failed to penetrate and bounced off. "It is quite rude to not listen while someone else is talking." The Arrancar jumped back as Kurotsuchi appeared next to him.

"Spli-!" Ichigo's cry was cut off by the sudden removal of his right arm. The arm and Zangetsu went spinning away and Ichigo clutched at his bleeding shoulder.

"You won't be needing that. As much as I would like to study an Arrancar's release, now is not the time. I'll have plenty of time to do so under controlled circumstances later on."

_He sure loves to hear himself talk!_ Ignoring his wound, Ichigo vanished in a burst of static, trying to reach his Zanpakuto. He got within a few meters before the Vice Captain tackled and pinned him. _Shit!_

"Oh! You can use Sonido! Excellent. None of my previous Arrancar specimens were capable of it." The insane Captain looked at the blood on his blade and Ichigo's severed arm. "Your Hierro doesn't seem that strong. Does it get stronger when you use Resureccion?"

"Sonido? Hierro?" Ichigo was thinking frantically, trying to figure out a way to get to Zangetsu. Maybe if he could get Kurotsuchi monologuing he'd have time to think of something.

Mayuri scowled. "You don't even know the names of your abilities? How annoying. How am I supposed to catalogue any new discoveries if I don't know their proper designation? Stupid boy. Sonido is the Arrancar equivalent of Shunpo. Hierro is an Arrancar's iron skin."

"I didn't know they had names," Ichigo grumbled, grappling with the woman holding him down. _Damn, she's strong!_

"What a worthless specimen. I am interested in how you went from a human to Arrancar in such a short amount of time. I am willing to give some concessions if you explain the process."

"You can take your concessions and shove 'em!" Ichigo got his left arm free and slugged the Lieutenant across the face, dislodging her grip. Ichigo made another dive for Zangetsu.

"Hmph. Rip. Ashisogi Jizo." Ichigo had no warning before the trident-like Zanpakuto slashed across his remaining arm and both legs. Ichigo crashed to the ground next to his Zanpakuto, but his limbs refused to move. "This is my power. Ashisogi Jizo severs the nerves that carry signals to and from the brain, paralyzing what ever it cuts. However…" He stabbed Ichigo's left leg and the Arrancar yelled in pain. "The pain receptors are unaffected." Kurotsuchi withdrew the blade. "I suppose I can figure out how you became an Arrancar during testing. I'll need to procure some more spiritually sensitive humans to test the process on. Hm." He cupped his chin in his hand. "Nemu, I believe the report on this boy said he had siblings?"

Ichigo's eyes snapped open. "Don't you dare…"

Nemu ignored him and answered her Captain. "Yes. Two younger sisters. Both spiritually sensitive."

"I'm warning you!"

"Excellent. A familial relation should help lower the number of variables. Once this one is secured in the lab, you will proceed to the Living World to acquire them."

"Yes, sir."

"Leave my family alone, you son of a bitch!" Ichigo grit his teeth, willing his body to move. He couldn't let this freak get Yuzu and Karin. _Move, damn it!_ He cursed his earlier need for stealth. If he hadn't sealed away so much of his power, he would have been able to put up a much better fight.

"Hurry up and secure the specimen, Nemu. I want to get started."

"Like hell I'm going to let you!" Ichigo shunted every drop of his reiatsu to the stump of his right arm. The sudden influx of power jump-started his healing abilities and as Nemu knelt to pick him up, a new arm burst from Ichigo's shoulder. The Arrancar's regenerated arm snapped out, grabbing the hilt of his Zanpakuto.

"Nemu! Stop him, you stupid girl!" Kurotsuchi yelled.

_Too late, asshole! No one threatens my family and lives!_

"**Split the Sky! Zangetsu!"**

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><p><strong>It's the moment you've all been waiting for! Zangetsu has been released and Ichigo is not likely to show any mercy. <strong>


	11. Chapter 11 Revised Version

**Disclaimer: I'm sure you've all realized by now that I don't own Bleach. Do I have to keep saying it?**

**AN: Congratulations to MoonClaimed and SuperYuuki for being the 30th and 40th reviewers.**

**Appropriate music should be playing while you read this. Obviously, you should have "Number One" ready to go. I also recommend "Stand Up Be Strong", "Invasion", and "Power to Strive." All can be found on YouTube, along with all the other awesome OSTs that I'm forgetting about.**

**Now then, let's get ready to rumble!**

**AN 2: After trading some correspondence with Akatsuki Leader 13, I realized that I had made some big mistakes in this fight. Essentially, I had sent Batman up against Superman, but took away his Kryptonite and utility belt. Mayuri in canon would never have shown up against an opponent with so little preparation. So I've revised the fight and tried to give Mayuri the fight he deserves. Evil SOB or not, the guy's a Captain, and you don't get that title by collecting bottle caps.**

**Don't expect me to do this every time someone has a problem with the chapter. Akatsuki Leader 13 had some very valid concerns that I was making Ichigo into a God-Mode Sue, and that is something I want to avoid at all costs.**

* * *

><p>"<strong>Split the Sky! Zangetsu!"<strong>

Nemu's breath hitched as the massive reiatsu slammed down on her. She felt like she was drowning. The air had become thick and heavy, crushing her lungs. And the reiatsu was filled with killing intent. She could practically hear it.

_**I am going to kill you. I am going to eat you. And there is nothing you can do about it**__._

Trying to force her lungs to work, Nemu looked to her father. Cruel and abusive he may be, she could take comfort in his powerful presence. What she saw terrified her more than the oppressive reiatsu that surrounded her.

Mayuri's eyes were wide and Nemu could see sweat forming on his face. The hand that held Ashisogi Jizo was shaking. That even her father – a Captain – could be unnerved by the Arrancar's release…. Nemu suddenly felt that Mayuri had made a grave miscalculation. The feeling only grew when the roar of a Hollow filled the air.

-x-

Ichigo couldn't help it. His lips twisted into a vicious leer as he reveled into the return of his full strength. He shifted and flexed, confirming that all five limbs were present and functional. The Arrancar tightened his grip on his blade then threw his head back and roared.

-x-

Mayuri watched the cloud for any hint of movement as the howl echoed around him. This was beyond his wildest expectations. With the release of its Zanpakuto, the Arrancar had gone from weaker than a Lieutenant to as powerful as most of the Captains. It was mind-boggling. Mayuri trembled in excitement. Oh, the data he would get from this specimen!

A disturbance in the dust pulled him from his fantasies. A dark shape flew out of the cloud directly at him. Mayuri easily batted it aside with Ashisogi Jizo, revealing the arm he had cut off the Arrancar.

However, the arm served its purpose as a distraction. Something struck him hard in the head, cracking bone and throwing the Captain to the side. Before Mayuri could recover, another blow hit him, smashing him face first into the ground. The force of the impact actually caused Kurotsuchi to bounce back into the air, and this time he caught a glimpse of a white boot and black hakama just before it punted him into a wall.

Mayuri grunted in pain, opening his eyes to see a white and black blur bearing down on him. He dove aside, dodging the punch that shattered the wall, and retaliated with Ashisogi Jizo. The three pronged blade bit at the Arrancar's outstretched arm…and ricocheted off without scratching the red and white hide. Mayuri starred in shock for a moment then dropped his gaze when he felt something curl around his ankle.

The red and white tail yanked Mayuri off his feet and once again sent him flying like a bird. Sick and tired of getting kicked around, the Captain righted himself, pulling spirit particles into a platform beneath his feet. Standing on air, Kurotsuchi finally managed to get a good look at his future specimen's Resureccion.

In height and build, the Arrancar had changed little. He was still tall and lean. Mayuri's keen mind quickly catalogued what had changed. The first thing he noticed was the mask fragment, or lack thereof. The fragment was gone, but the red stripes that had decorated it remained, tattooed on the Arrancar's face. Mayuri noticed that two more stripes had appeared under the left eye and briefly wondered if there was any significance before continuing his examination. The Arrancar's hair had turned white in addition to growing out slightly.

The white shihakusho the Arrancar had worn was mostly gone. Mayuri noted that the hakama seemed to have simply changed color from white to black, and the sandals had become white boots. His torso was covered by a black, sleeveless shirt, which was in turn covered by a white, rib-like breastplate. Spikes jutted up and back from the shoulders. The arms were bare, giving a clear view of the vivid contrast between pale skin and the blood red tribal markings that had appeared. The biggest physical change was the red and white tail that waved lazily behind him. Judging by the impromptu flight that tail had sent Mayuri on, it was both prehensile and quite strong.

Mayuri turned his gaze to the sword clenched in the Arrancar's fist. That was interesting. According to his previous research, most Arrancar lost their blades upon performing Resureccion. This one not only kept it, it had changed from an odachi to an elongated cleaver with a black blade. He wondered if it had any abilities aside from simply being a weapon.

Mayuri started to clap. "What a fantastic Resureccion! I can't wait to vivisect you in this form!"

"Not happening," a voice said from behind him. Mayuri took an instant to register that the Arrancar on the ground looked somewhat hazy and indistinct then spun and brought Ashisogi Jizo up to block the massive cleaver heading for his neck. His Zanpakuto stopped the cleaver. It did nothing for the kick that thundered into his ribs.

-x-

Ichigo watched as the mad scientist crashed to the ground. Weak attacks like he had been using so far would not finish Kurotsuchi off, but it was very satisfying to keep knocking him around. It was excellent payback for Ichigo's earlier injuries.

While Kurotsuchi was down, Ichigo took stock of the situation. He was still stuck in the box, which seemed to be what was inhibiting his ability to make a Cero, but he could deal with that. He had other long range options. His insanely durable skin – the freak had called it "Hierro" – had blocked Kurotsuchi's Zanpakuto with ease, but Ichigo was certain the Captain would be able to sharpen his reiatsu and cut him. He still had _that_, but he would rather save it for later; no sense showing everything he could do against a single opponent.

On the ground, Kurotsuchi was getting to his feet. His condescending smirk was gone, replaced by a much more serious expression. Ichigo hefted his blade into a guard position. His free shots were over. The real fight started now.

Kurotsuchi's form blurred into Shunpo, but Ichigo followed him easily. Steel met steel with a grinding screech and a flurry of sparks. Ichigo opened his mouth to taunt the Captain, but the words died in his throat when he saw Kurotsuchi's free hand directly in front of his face. Reiatsu pulsed, air rippled, and Ichigo barely got his head out of the way of the blast. The distraction cost him though, and Kurotsuchi broke the blade lock and carved a bloody gash down Ichigo's front.

"Shit!" That had gone right through his breastplate and skin! Ichigo forced Kurotsuchi to back off with a strong swing then widened the gap by jumping back further. The Arrancar's hand went to his chest. The wound was healing, but far slower than it should be.

"Interesting." Ichigo looked at the clown-faced scientist. "That particular poison is designed to inhibit regeneration completely." The Captain cocked his head. "You also were not stopped by my Zanpakuto's usual poison. Normally it is highly resistant to being purged. Your healing ability is truly astounding." Mayuri raised his hand and pointed at Ichigo. "I can see I will need to use other methods to restrain you."

"Like I'm going to let you!" Ichigo vanished in a crackle of static, reappearing behind the Captain, blade raised high.

"Bakudo 61: Rikujokoro."

Ichigo's movement was arrested by the six rods of light that slammed into his midsection. Despite their placement, Ichigo found that he could not move any part of his body.

"That should hold you for a bit." Kurotsuchi reached into his kimono and pulled out a small disk. It looked a lot like the Hollow bait Ishida had used. He crushed it in his fist and tossed the powder at the immobile Ichigo.

The instant the powder touched him, Ichigo's stomach revolted. Whatever it was, it smelled horrible, made him nauseous, and made him want to be anywhere but there. Ichigo gagged, trying to resist the urge to hurl. "What…what did… you do?"

Kurotsuchi's smirk had returned in full force as he stepped toward the helpless Arrancar. "You are familiar with Hollow bait, I presume? Well what I just used was Hollow repellent." His smirk widened when Ichigo doubled over as best he could in the Bakudo and retched. "I believe the best comparison for the effects would be the getting sprayed by a skunk."

Ichigo's stomach was empty and he was reduced to dry heaving. _This is bad. I should have taken his head from the start!_ Even if he managed to free himself, he would still be at a disadvantage thanks to that damn Hollow repellent.

"Now then, I think I'll remove your arms and legs for transport. Their growth should be hindered enough to get you to the Institute before they fully regenerate." Kurotsuchi positioned his blade above Ichigo's right arm. "I'll start with your sword arm!"

_Like hell!_ Ichigo flared his reiatsu. In an instant, a wall of blades erupted from the ground around him, forcing Kurotsuchi to retreat or be skewered.

-x-

Mayuri took a moment to study this new development. All of the swords were a different shape. Some were long, some were short. Some were straight, some were crooked. He watched as six more blades shot up, piercing the Rikujokoro and breaking it. Mayuri quickly noticed that all the blades had one thing in common; they were all black weapons with a white blade and white cloth around the hilt, the opposite color of the weapon the Arrancar held in his hand. _So the one with the black blade is his main weapon. The others are likely used for supplementary attacks. _His suspicion was confirmed when the Arrancar knelt – or perhaps he had collapsed – and pressed his palm to the ground.

Mayuri jumped into the air to avoid the field of steel that shot up under his feet. From a bird's eye view, the Captain could see that the blades had appeared in a radius around the Arrancar – the Arrancar that was now smirking at him.

"Go!" On command the swords fired from the ground, all aimed at Mayuri.

Mayuri flash stepped out of the way of the storm of razor-edged objects. However, more blades grew and were fired from the earth. _What an interesting power._ Mayuri flickered across the sky, dodging the onslaught with ease. He spared a glance at the Arrancar to see him staggering to his feet and trying to shake off the effects of the Hollow repellent. _Well, that won't do._

Mayuri stopped dodging and the next volley homed in on him.

-x-

Ichigo watched as Kurotsuchi was obscured by the blades. He struggled to stand, but a wave of vertigo nearly sent him back to the ground. It also broke his concentration and ended the hail of swords. _Shit. What's in that stuff?_ This was worse than fighting Shinji's Shikai.

"Hado 73: Soren Sokatsui!"

A burst of blue flame blasted his last volley into scrap metal. A second fireball shot out of the cloud of shrapnel right at him. Ichigo tried to get out of the way, but he once again succumbed to vertigo. The fireball crashed into him, engulfing Ichigo and the surrounding area in flame.

-x-

Mayuri waited for the flames to burn down before landing. This Arrancar was going to be so much fun to experiment on. Captain class reiatsu, the most effective regenerative abilities he had ever seen, and the power to summon a seemingly infinite amount of weapons.

Mayuri stepped up to the toasted Arrancar. Mayuri kicked him onto his back. Those yellow on black eyes cracked open, and Mayuri could see that he had not given up. That was annoying. It was so much trouble when his specimens were not cooperative. He would have to fix that. "I believe I was going to cut off your arms and legs before you so rudely interrupted me, correct? Well, let's get on with that." Mayuri raised his Zanpakuto again. He stopped when the Arrancar started to laugh. "I am getting tired of these interruptions. What could be so funny? Have you gone mad?" The Arrancar didn't answer. Instead, he simply pointed at something above Mayuri.

Keeping the point of Ashisogi Jizo pressed against the Arrancar's throat, Mayuri turned to look. When he saw the multitude of swords piercing the top of the barrier and the cracks that had started to spread, he quickly turned back to his victim, only to find himself faced with the glow of a charging Cero. Mayuri didn't waste any time in casting a barrier kido.

"Bakudo 39: Enkosen!"

-x-

Several things happened at once. The barrier shattered completely, Kurotsuchi's Bakudo flared to life, and Ichigo fired his Cero. Cero and Bakudo canceled each other out, with explosive results. Ichigo grunted as his battered body was thrown by the force of the blast. He rolled to a painful stop. On the bright side, the explosion and earlier fireball seemed to have gotten rid of that Hollow repellent. On the other hand, his regeneration was still working slower than normal. It also seemed to be consuming more reiatsu than it should.

Ichigo stabbed his cleaver into the ground and levered himself up. Agonizingly slowly, the burns started to recede, replaced by healthy flesh. "Please tell me he's dead." Ichigo did not want this to go on any longer.

No such luck. Ichigo could see Kurotsuchi climbing to his feet some distance away. He took solace in the fact that the freak looked as battered as he felt. Groaning in pain, Ichigo forced his legs to move. _Gotta put him down!_ Ichigo focused his reiatsu in his legs and right arm, speeding up his healing. As his legs mended, Ichigo broke into a run.

Kurotsuchi met his charge with his own Zanpakuto. Unfortunately for him, his wounds were not healing like Ichigo's were. Ichigo's strikes grew stronger while Kurotsuchi's strength was starting to wane.

-x-

_Damn it!_ _This can't be happening!_ Mayuri struggled to block the Arrancar's blows. He had received a large amount of damage from the explosion, in addition to landing badly. He needed to inject some of his regeneration formula, but the damn brat kept attacking. Then he missed a block.

Mayuri felt the massive cleaver slide into his torso, shredding several of his organs. He gasped and coughed up blood as the blade was removed. "You…you brat!" He coughed up more blood. "Forget being a *cough* live specimen!" This wound was too much for his current regeneration serum. He needed to finish this and return to his lab to heal. "I'll kill you and study your corpse!" It was a shame to have to kill him, but a dead scientist can't study anything. Mayuri performed Shunpo, reappearing several dozen meters away.

-x-

"Oh crap," Ichigo said as he realized what was about to happen.

"**Bankai!"**

"Holy…" Ichigo watched as Mayuri's Zanpakuto transformed in a massive hybrid of a baby and a caterpillar.

"Behold! Konjiki Ashisiogi Jizo!" Mayuri gestured at the grotesque Bankai, which was breathing out a purple mist. "The mist you see is a rather potent poison. Far more so than the ones I've used on you so far. It works through skin contact, so don't think holding your breath will save you!"

Ichigo flared his reiatsu, driving away the poisonous cloud for a moment. This was bad. The Arrancar did not want to test the limits of his regeneration by getting caught by that gas, especially with the current problems it was having. _Okay, think. Bankai dispel if the wielder is incapacitated. But would that get rid of the gas? _ Ichigo went over his options.

Option 1: Run away. The problem was that if he left Kurotsuchi alone, the clown-faced freak would go after Yuzu and Karin next. He also didn't want to turn his back on that Bankai; there was no way to know what other tricks it had.

Option 2: Charge Kurotsuchi and take his head off, an act that Ichigo's 20/20 hindsight told him he really should have done from the start. Unfortunately, that plan would take him right into the thickest part of the poison cloud.

Option 3: Use _that_, and completely obliterate him.

Of course, the problem with option three was that if he did use it, there's no way anyone in Seireitei would miss it. He'd be up to his neck in Captains in minutes. Actually it was surprising that they hadn't shown up yet. Maybe that box had been blocking reiatsu sensing along with his Cero?

The gas started encroaching again, and Ichigo snapped out his musing. He needed to act now or he'd die. _Option 3 it is. _The Arrancar raised his blade and his reiatsu exploded. If anyone had been able to see Ichigo's eyes, they would have seen the normally yellow iris glowing blue.

-x-

Nemu stood as far away from the battle as she could. She knew that she should be near Mayuri, in case he ordered her to do something. For once however, her survival instincts – which she was rather surprised to find out she had – were telling her, "Stay the hell out of the way!"

Her choice was proven right when the Arrancar lifted his cleaver over his head. The reiatsu he had been releasing before was nothing compared to now. Kurosaki's reiatsu hit its peak and self-preservation took over. Nemu dove for cover as the Arrancar opened his mouth.

"_**Getsuga…!"**_

-x-

As Ichigo had guessed, the barrier had indeed been keeping the reiatsu generated by the battle contained. Without it, Ichigo's rising reiatsu could be clearly felt.

-x-

Ishida jerked as the oppressive reiatsu hit him.

"Kurosaki…"

-x-

Byakuya Kuchiki and Sajin Komamura turned toward the massive burst of Hollow reiatsu.

"You should have killed him, Captain Kuchiki. Because you stayed your blade, that human has become a monster among monsters."

"I will not make the same mistake again, I assure you."

-x-

"Shiro…"

"I feel it too, Momo. Don't worry. I'll make sure Aizen is avenged."

-x-

"Lady Yoruichi, you allied yourself with that thing?"

"I'm as shocked as you, Soifon. This is the first time I've felt Ichigo's released power."

-x-

"Wow, Kenny! I bet that guy will be fun to fight!"

"Damn straight! I can't wait to meet him!"

-x-

"Chad…"

"Yeah. Let's hurry."

-x-

"Captain Ukitake!"

_Dear god. No wonder he wasn't worried._

-x-

Throughout the Seireitei, Shinigami stopped what they were doing and trembled as a wave of the strongest Hollow reiatsu they had ever felt rolled over them.

-x-

"…_**Tensho!"**_

Mayuri saw only a bright flash before unimaginable pain hit him. The light cleaved through his body and through Konjiki Ashisogi Jizo.

-x-

Ichigo walked forward. The gas was dissipating along with Kurotsuchi's Bankai. The Arrancar grinned at the sight that greeted him.

Mayuri Kurotsuchi lay in two pieces, split diagonally from left shoulder to right hip. He twitched weakly as Ichigo stood over him.

"You…think this…is over…brat? I'll fix myself up…and…come after you again." Mayuri lifted his sealed Zanpakuto and turned the blade toward his throat.

"No, you won't." Ichigo didn't know what Kurotsuchi was doing, but better safe than sorry. Casually, he kicked the Zanpakuto out of the dying Shinigami's hand. "You see, you threatened my sisters." Ichigo's face darkened. "I'm going to make an example of you, freak." He looked around and spotted Nemu peeking out from behind some rubble. "You pay attention! Tell your bosses, this is what happens to people that threaten my family!"

It should be noted that Ichigo wasn't really thinking clearly at this point. He had had nothing to eat today and his injuries and depleted reserves only made him hungrier. His instincts as a Hollow saw only a source of nourishment in front of him, a chance to satisfy his appetite. His instincts as an older brother saw a man who had threatened his family and would continue to do so if left alive. All these factors overrode Ichigo's rational thoughts. In his right mind, Ichigo would never have done what happened next.

Ichigo lifted his foot and stepped on Kurotsuchi's head. Then he started to press down. Mayuri screamed as his skull started to cave in. "Stop! Stop it!" Ichigo didn't stop. He just pressed harder. "Nemu! Nemu, you bitch! Stop him!" Nemu didn't move an inch.

"What's wrong?" Ichigo asked, a sadistic smile on his face. "I thought you wanted to study me? Well now you can…from the inside." Mayuri's eyes widened and he gave one last scream before his skull finally gave.

Ignoring the blood and brains covering his boot, Ichigo opened his mouth. Then he started to inhale. Kurotsuchi's body began to dissolve into spirit particles, which were sucked into the Arrancar's gaping maw. Nemu could only watch as Ichigo slurped up her deceased Captain like one might a bowl of ramen noodles.

Ichigo swallowed the last of Mayuri Kurotsuchi and let out a satisfied belch. In a flash, Ichigo was once again garbed in the white shihakusho of his sealed form, returning Zangetsu to the sheath on his back. With one last look at Nemu, he vanished in a crackle of static, leaving the shell-shocked Lieutenant alone.

-x-

Mayuri groaned and opened his eyes. He had a splitting headache. "Where am I?" None of the surrounding buildings looked familiar.

"Welcome to Ichigo's Inner World, Mayuri Kurotsuchi."

Mayuri looked up to see a bearded man, dressed in a red and white coat standing on a lamppost. "Who are you?" The man ignored the question, stepping off the lamp and dropping to the ground. "Answer me!" Mayuri made to draw Ashisogi Jizo, only to find it missing.

"You are a scientist, are you not? What is your hypothesis on who I am?" The man stepped closer.

Mayuri thought about it. If this was the Arrancar's Inner World, there was really only one explanation for the figure standing before him. "You're the brat's Zanpakuto." Mayuri's eyes widened. "Arrancar have a Zanpakuto spirit?"

"Indeed." The spirit stopped a meter away from Mayuri. "Like all Hollows, Arrancar must eat other spiritual beings to survive. And like Menos, they typically eat Hollows. I assume you know what goes on in the mind of a high level Menos Grande?"

Mayuri scoffed. "Of course. The Hollows that have been eaten constantly battle for control. If the one that is in control loses itself to the voices, it reverts to a Gillian and will never again gain sentience. It will become just another beast, driven only by hunger."

"Correct. However, Arrancar, do not have this problem. In addition to being a seal for their power, an Arrancar's Zanpakuto absorbs any spiritual beings that are eaten, silencing their voices forever, while adding their power to the Arrancar."

Mayuri started to back up, realizing what the spirit was leading to. "No! You cannot do this!" The spirit gestured, and a wall of blades burst from the ground, halting Mayuri's retreat. The spirit's coat flared and snapped forward like a striking snake. Mayuri was caught in its grasp and dragged toward the spirit, screaming and clawing at the coat as he tried to free himself.

"Good-bye, Mayuri Kurotsuchi. Your strength shall be of great help to Ichigo," the spirit said, his expression never changing as Mayuri lost the struggle and joined Ichigo's other meals inside Zangetsu.

* * *

><p><strong>What do you think? Is Ichigo's Resureccion badass enough? What did you think of the fight? Does Zangetsu's explanation of the purpose of an Arrancar's Zanpakuto make sense? How about Mayuri's ultimate fate?<strong>

**Things are going to start going nuts from here on out. Buckle your seat belts, hang on tight, and kiss Canon good-bye, folks.**

**I apologize to the people who read the original Chapter 11 and liked how Ichigo curb-stomped Mayuri. But the more I looked at it, the less satisfied with it I was. This way, Ichigo actually had to work for his win. There's also a bit more explanation for why Ichigo went from trying to not eat any Shinigami to devouring Kurotsuchi. And you all get to see a power I was going to save for later. Before anyone asks, yes, it is a weaponized version of the Field of Blades thing Zangetsu did during Ichigo's Bankai training.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I envy the people who can think of some witty way to say, "I don't own Bleach," every chapter.**

***Cerokun walks on stage sporting a black eye, a busted lip, and heavily favoring his left side***

**Everyone, I apologize for the wait. This chapter fought me every step of the way. After a long, bloody battle, I have beaten it into submission and uploaded it for your viewing pleasure.**

**Feedback regarding the revised Chapter 11 has been positive. Thank you all for your support.**

**Okay, review milestone congratulations. **

**Reviewer #50: speaker4thesilent**

**Reviewer #60: KuroiTori-sama**

**Reviewer #70: digiwriter1392**

**Reviewer #80: snowecat**

**Reviewer #90: Darksnider05**

**The number of reviews I got for Chapter 11 was insane. How insane, you may ask? The count was nearly four times the second highest count (Chapter 10) at the time of this writing, and nearly doubled the total number of reviews this story has gotten. You guys are freaking awesome.**

* * *

><p>With his reiatsu back at its normal sealed levels, Ichigo was making far better time than he had previously. However, his mind was in turmoil. <em>I ate him. I ate him! I ate him! <em>After keeping control of himself for so long, and it all goes out the window when he gets angry. That train of thought derailed when his legs seized up and he crashed to the ground. Luckily, the area seemed abandoned. Ichigo struggled to get up, but his body felt like it was made of lead.

_What the hell? _Something was very wrong. Ichigo could feel his reiatsu dropping like a stone as his regeneration tried to fix whatever was going on. The Arrancar spasmed then hacked up blood. Ichigo stared at the blood on the ground, his vision wavy. _What's happening?_ Ichigo wracked his brains, trying to figure out what was going on.

It hit him like a brick to the head. Or maybe that was his skull cracking against the earth as his body gave another violent spasm. _The mist._ He had walked through the dissipating cloud to get to Mayuri. It hadn't affected him then, so he thought there nothing to worry about. His body must have been constantly healing the damage, and when he resealed Zangetsu – which included a good chunk of his healing abilities – it had only been a matter of time.

_Shit._ Ichigo spasmed again and coughed up more blood. Darkness started to encroach on the edges of his vision. _Is this it? I'm going die immediately after I go nuts and eat someone?_ _I'm going to die a monster?_ _Without rescuing Rukia?_ He couldn't move anymore. Staying conscious was getting harder by the second. _Karin… Yuzu…_

As he lost the fight and slipped into darkness, Ichigo thought he heard someone calling his name.

-x-

Hitsugaya surveyed the battlefield. The ground was completely torn up, walls were shattered, and there was a fair sized crater and scorch mark where something seemed to have exploded. However, what drew Hitsugaya's eye was the hundred-meter long slice in the ground, as if a massive sword had been brought down. Momo was lying next to it, Zanpakuto drawn and inserted in the trench. The young Captain watched as the sword disappeared, followed by Momo's arm up to the shoulder.

"I'm still not reaching the bottom." Momo sat up and returned her impromptu measuring stick to its sheath. "This was probably what caused that huge surge." Hitsugaya nodded in agreement. When they felt the reiatsu from Captain Kurotsuchi's battle, he and Momo had rushed here in the hopes of catching the Arrancar. Instead they found a lot of destruction and the unresponsive Nemu Kurotsuchi. Judging by the large bloodstains on either side of the trench, whatever had created it had ended the battle. And if the absence of Mayuri Kurotsuchi was any indicator, it had not ended in the Captain's favor.

Hitsugaya's scowl deepened. This made two Captains this thing had killed. Hyorinmaru growled in his mind. Toshiro nodded in agreement with his partner. This had gone on long enough.

"Lieutenant Hinamori!"

"Yes, sir?"

"We're taking Lieutenant Kurotsuchi to the 4th division. Once she's able to tell us what happened here, we're going to track this thing down and kill it."

"Yes, sir!"

-x-

Kenpachi growled in frustration. He and Yachiru had run all over Seireitei. Yet despite all the action that was happening, he had not found a single ryoka. Even his poor reiatsu tracking abilities had detected the release of Kurotsuchi's Bankai, and the subsequent rise in Hollow reiatsu. However before he could reach the sight of the battle, it had ended abruptly, leaving the Captain of the 11th Division aimless once again. Currently, Kenpachi was leaping over the roofs of the old penitentiary district.

A flash of red on the street below caught his eye as he passed overhead. Kenpachi stopped on the next roof and looked back.

"What did you see, Kenny?" Yachiru asked from his shoulder.

Kenpachi looked over the edge of the roof and spotted the red splotch on the ground. The giant's lips twisted into a demonic grin. He knew that color. "Blood."

Captain and Lieutenant dropped to the ground. Kenpachi looked at the pool of blood. The bloodthirsty Captain was normally not one for detective work. However, even an idiot can see a trail of bloody footprints and think, "Maybe I should follow those." Whoever had lain there, they had been picked up and carried away by someone else. Kenpachi looked closer and added to his conclusion. There had been two someones, one quite a bit bigger than the other. And those footprints led deeper into the maze of buildings.

Kenpachi Zaraki's grin widened. He had a much smaller area to search now. Yachiru hanging on for dear life, Kenpachi sprinted after the footprints.

-x-

Hidden away in one of the buildings, Orihime worked to heal Ichigo. Chad was keeping watch by one of the windows. It had been pure luck that Ichigo crash landed almost right in front of them. Orihime shuddered at the thought of what might have happened to Ichigo if they had not been so close by. Right now, the Soten Kisshun was purging the poison from his body and repairing the damage it had done. In fact, he should be waking up any second now.

"Uuggh." Speak of the devil.

"Ichigo! Are you okay?"

Ichigo sat up slowly. "Yeah. Thanks, Inoue." Then he stood up without another word and made for the door.

"Huh? Wait, where are you going? Ichigo! You need to rest!" Orihime got up and chased after him.

"Stay away from me, Inoue! I'm not safe!" Ichigo tried to leave, but was stopped when Chad stepped in his way.

"What's wrong, Ichigo?"

The Arrancar grit his teeth. "Get out of my way, Chad." He tried to push past his friend. Chad grabbed his arm as he passed.

"What happened?"

"Ichigo, we're your friends. You can tell us," Orihime pleaded. She flinched when Ichigo's yellow glare turned to her.

"I'm a monster, Inoue. We never stopped to really think about it after I changed, but it's reality. You need to stay away from me or you're going to get hurt." Ichigo yanked his arm out of Chad's grip and went for the door again. Once again he was stopped, this time by Orihime's Santen Kesshun flaring to life in front of him.

"Ichigo, please. Just tell us what happened."

Ichigo's reiatsu flared in anger. "You really want to know? Fine. I ate someone! I already had him beat! There was no reason for it other than my hunger and temper!" Chad and Orihime stepped back in shock. "It's only getting worse! When I first changed it wasn't that bad. But every day I need more to keep me satisfied. How long until I lose myself completely and become ruled by hunger? If you stay around me, who knows how long it will be until I'm seeing you as a meal instead of friends? That's why I need to get away from you."

Chad's eyes narrowed. Ichigo went down as his friend's armored fist plowed into his cheek. Ichigo and Orihime both gaped at the angry giant. An angry Chad was a truly rare sight. Chad's expression quickly shifted from angry to solemn though. "So you're just going to give up?"

"I…"

"If you are, then becoming an Arrancar really has changed you. The Ichigo I know would never give up. He'd fight until his body could no longer move."

"But…"

"Don't give up on yourself, Ichigo."

"Chad, I…"

"That's right!" Orihime piped up. "Even if you leave we'll just follow right after you! Because that's what friends do!"

"You'll never be a monster, Ichigo. We won't let you become one."

Ichigo looked at the floor. Then he got to his feet and walked past Chad and Orihime. When he reached the door, he turned back, his confident smirk on his face. "What are we waiting for? Rukia's waiting. I can't sit around moping while we've still got a job to do, right?"

Chad and Orihime smiled and followed Ichigo out of the building. Then they bumped into his back as the Arrancar stopped short.

Standing before them was a man bigger than Chad. His hair was styled into spikes with bells on the end. He had an eye-patch. He was also wearing the white haori of a Captain.

"Hey there. Been looking all over for you guys," the giant said, shark-like grin on his face.

Ichigo summed the situation up best. "Oh crap."

* * *

><p><strong>Inevitably, ArrancarIchigo stories have to deal with the fact that Ichigo is technically a soul-eating monster. Unfortunately, this means angst. I hate angst. I hate reading it. I hate writing it. If I could, I'd avoid it completely. I'll admit that this chapter is far from my best work, but that's what happens when your muse hates the vital plot development and keeps jumping ahead to the fight scenes. At some point, Ichigo will have to deal with his issues. But I think that, for now, he can set them aside to focus on his current goal.<strong>


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: Ninja minions? Failed. Android assassins? Failed. Challenging Tite Kubo to a one-on-one death match with Bleach as the prize? Failed due to not being able to afford airfare. Still don't own Bleach.**

**The 100-review mark has been cleared! Congratulations to Cloned Girl for being reviewer #100! *cheers and applause* As a prize, you may ask any one question about "Not Quite as Planned." Powers and abilities, future events, anything you want. You only get one though, so choose carefully. The only rule is you have to keep it to yourself. No spoiling it for the others.**

**Also congratulations to Zaralann for being #110.**

**I was rereading the story and noticed that in Chapter 9, Gin called Toshiro "Captain Twelve". Seriously, why did no one call me out on that? I've since fixed that little typo.**

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><p>Jushiro Ukitake had known Soifon for decades. In all that time he had never seen her look so pissed off. The Captain of the 13th Division had rushed over to the 2nd as quickly as possible after he sensed Ichigo's fight with Captain Kurotsuchi. He ran even faster when he felt Kurotsuchi's reiatsu disappear. They needed to get the Arrancar and his companions out of the Seireitei as soon as possible, before anything else went wrong.<p>

Finding out that Captain Aizen's death was faked was a shock. He had surmised the killing to be a result of the conspiracy he was starting to notice; most likely an attempt to bring the full might of the Gotei 13 to bear against Ichigo Kurosaki. He had not expected the "killer" to be Aizen himself, or that two other Captains were in league with him. When she found out that the ryoka had not been informed of the truth behind Rukia's upcoming execution, Soifon had rounded on her teacher.

"…the number of times you told me how important accurate information was to the success of the mission! I would expect this kind of irresponsibility from Urahara, but you should know better, Lady Yoruichi!"

Ukitake was glad they had thought to put up a soundproofing barrier around the office. Without it, Soifon's yelling would be audible to Rukia all the way in the Senzaikyu.

"'These are the Captains responsible for Rukia Kuchiki getting the death penalty. Feel free to kill them. Please don't kill the others.' That's all you would have needed to say! Instead, there's a loose-cannon, Captain-class Arrancar completely unaware of the fact that we're going to need every loyal Captain alive and fighting fit to deal with the fallout when we finally oust those traitors!"

If the situation were not so serious, Ukitake would likely have found the scene highly amusing. A century ago, Soifon would never have dreamed of raising her voice to her mentor. Yoruichi was sulking in a corner, unable to get a word in edgewise, and looking like she wanted nothing more than for the earth to swallow her. Soifon was looming over her (an impressive feat for the petite woman) and reading Yoruichi the riot act.

"But no! You decided it was a good idea to keep that information to yourself! Never mind that the future of the Soul Society might very well depend on four teenagers spiriting a condemned felon out from underneath the collective nose of the entire Gotei 13! Teenagers who have no idea what's going on in the background and thus will be completely unprepared when Aizen makes his move!"

"Well when you put it that way it really sounds bad," Yoruichi pouted.

"It is bad! And another thing…!"

"Excuse me. Ladies? Perhaps we can try to find an actual solution?" Jushiro cut in. Soifon looked like she could go on for hours at her current rate, and who knows what could go wrong in that time.

Soifon visibly forced herself to calm down. "Yes. Right now, I think the best course of action would be to check on the Central 46. We need to determine if their verdict was a result of being fed false or biased information or some other method of coercion. The report they received should be filed in the Great Spirit Library. Lady Yoruichi?"

Yoruichi nodded. "I can look into that, Captain. In and out before anyone knows I'm there."

"Then go. Please hurry."

The Goddess of Flash smirked. "Who do you think you're talking to, Captain Soifon?" Yoruichi slid the window open and vanished.

Jushiro smiled at his fellow Captain. "You two seem to be getting along. How's it feel to have Yoruichi as an equal?" He chuckled as Soifon groaned and thumped her head against her desk.

"It's certainly a novel experience. She doesn't seem to have changed much over the past century. She also insists on calling me 'Captain Soifon' even though I ask her not to."

"If I recall, you insist on calling her 'Lady Yoruichi' despite all her protests. Looks like she's taking the chance to return the favor." Ukitake got to his feet. "I'm going to see if anyone knows what happened to Captain Kurotsuchi."

"Use Tenteikura if you discover something vital."

"You do the same." Ukitake left the office through the door.

Soifon sat alone for a moment, thinking. Then she hopped to her feet, grabbed Suzumebachi, yelled to Omaeda that she was leaving and he was in charge, and left the same way Yoruichi did. Someone needed to let the ryoka know just how big a pile of shit they had stepped in.

-x-

Ichigo's knees buckled as he blocked a downward stroke from the spiky-haired juggernaut. Roaring in effort, Ichigo heaved, sending the giant skidding back.

"Not bad. Not bad at all," the giant said, his toothy grin widening even further. "Here I was, all prepared to give you a handicap, and it looks like you won't be needing it."

Ichigo growled and raised Zangetsu into a guard position. "Mind telling me who the hell you are?"

The giant shouldered his battered Zanpakuto. "Sorry about that. I've been running around all day and got a little overeager." His grin looked like it would split his face in two. "Kenpachi Zaraki, Captain of the 11th Division."

"And I'm Yachiru!" Something tiny and pink popped up from behind Kenpachi's left shoulder. "Lieutenant of the 11th Division!" Giggling happily, the pint-sized Vice-Captain bounced over to Ichigo and started looking him over. "Wow. You look pretty strong. Kenny's gonna have a lot of fun fighting you," she said cheerfully. Still giggling, she jumped up and over Ichigo, and climbed to the top of one of the nearby buildings.

Ichigo widened his stance as Kenpachi started toward him. Inoue's Soten Kisshun wasn't very good at restoring reiatsu, so while the poison was gone and the damage it caused had been healed, he still wasn't back up to 100 percent. In his sealed state, he stood little chance against a Captain. _Only one thing to do then._ Kenpachi charged and Ichigo prepared to unleash his Resureccion.

"Santen Kesshun! I reject!"

Kenpachi slammed face-first into the triangular barrier that flared to life between the Captain and Arrancar. Kenpachi barely had time to wonder what the hell had just happened before an armored fist buried itself in his gut.

"El Directo!"

The blast engulfed Kenpachi's body and launched the Captain backwards at an impressive speed. Quite a distance away, Kenpachi's progress was stopped when he smashed through the wall of a building. Either Kenpachi himself or the energy blast must have hit an important structural support, because the whole thing came crashing down on top of him.

Ichigo blinked in surprise. Chad and Inoue stood in front of him, facing the demolished building. "What are you guys doing?"

"Helping," Chad responded.

"You go get Rukia. We can take this guy," Inoue added, giving the Arrancar a thumbs-up.

Rubble exploded and Kenpachi walked out of the destruction, almost completely unhurt, save for a bloody nose and a slightly red mark where Chad's fist had struck. He didn't look very happy. "Don't butt in on my fights!"

"Koten Zanshun! I reject!"

"What the…?" Tsubaki slashed a chunk out of Kenpachi's shoulder, weaved around the retaliatory strike, and made a hairpin turn to attack again. "Damn!" Tsubaki darted around like a housefly hyped up on caffeine and steroids, leaving bloody slices in his wake. "Hold still, damn it!" Tsubaki avoided the irate Captain's wild swings and continued his assault.

Ichigo watched Kenpachi batting ineffectually at Tsubaki. He had yet to hit the fairy, but Tsubaki's attacks didn't seem to be doing much more than annoying Kenpachi.

"Get going while he's distracted, Ichigo."

"But…"

"Don't worry, Ichigo!" Inoue smiled at him. "Remember, we trained hard for this too."

Ichigo spared a glance a Kenpachi. The seemingly unstoppable Captain had apparently had enough of trying to hit Tsubaki and was coming straight for Inoue, ignoring the razor-edged boomerang that was dogging his heels. However, he forgot about Chad, and ended up eating another "El Directo!" to the face. "Son of a bitch!" Kenpachi yelled as he crashed into another unfortunate building. Tsubaki shot in after him.

"Yeah, looks like you've got this," Ichigo admitted. "Be careful." Both his friends gave him a reassuring smile and nod. After one last look, Ichigo vanished in a crackle of static. _Okay,_ _no more sneaking around. Get to the Senzaikyu, kick the crap out of whoever's guarding it, grab Rukia, get the others, and hightail it out of here. _The Arrancar pushed his Sonido for as much speed as he could get, rocketing toward the white tower.

-x-

Kenpachi cursed as the annoying, flying thing came back for another pass. He had wanted to fight the Arrancar! He wanted an epic battle, both of them holding their ground, hacking away at each other! Instead, he got fairy girl and the brat that kept sucker punching him. Not that fighting them couldn't be fun. This stupid thing seemed to have no trouble cutting him and he had definitely felt the big guy's punches.

The problem was that neither of the ryoka wanted to fight him the way he wanted. The girl kept back and let her toy attack him, and the guy only attacked when he made a move for the girl. It was the perfect strategy to deal with someone who completely outclassed them, and against anyone but Kenpachi Zaraki it would have already worked. However, their opponent was no ordinary Shinigami. If there was one thing Kenpachi truly took pride in, it was his ability to keep fighting no matter how torn up he was. As things stood, both ryoka would run dry long before Kenpachi did. But winning like that was no win at all in his mind. If he actually wanted to cut someone, Kenpachi was going to need to come up with a plan.

_Damn it. I hate having to think during my fights._ Kenpachi took another swing at his airborne attacker, which missed just like all the rest. _Maybe I should just call it quits and ask if they'll give me a rain check to fight the Arrancar…_

-x-

_It was dark. Yet she could see her own form with ease. Strange. That would suggest that she was the source of light, but all around her was completely black. _

_A sound caught her attention. She spun to see the Arrancar in its Resureccion form, just as visible as herself, crouched over her father's body, black-bladed cleaver dripping blood. As she watched, its jaw unhinged like a snake and swallowed her father whole. Then its glowing yellow eyes turned to her. She found herself frozen, unable to look away from those terrible eyes. Reiatsu smothered her, choking the breath from her lungs as the Arrancar stalked toward her._

"_You're next." It lifted the massive blade, surging with power. "Become my food." Then it brought the blade down._

-x-

Hitsugaya and Hinamori nearly jumped out of their skins at the scream of terror that came from Vice-Captain Kurotsuchi's room, followed by a loud thump. They rushed in to find Nemu on the floor, struggling to free herself from the tangled sheets, a look of pure terror on her face. Hinamori darted for the thrashing woman and grabbed her by the shoulders.

"Lieutenant Kurotsuchi! Lieutenant Kurotsuchi! Nemu!" Nemu started at the sound of her name, her eyes finally focusing on Momo. "Are you alright?"

Hitsugaya watched Kurotsuchi take deep breaths and start to calm down. This was…beyond odd. He had never seen Lieutenant Kurotsuchi show so much emotion. In fact, he had often wondered if she was capable of it. For something to frighten her so much as to cause a reaction like this… Toshiro was starting to think that the situation was worse than he thought.

"Lieutenant Kurotsuchi," he said. "I'm sorry if this is too soon, but we need to know what happened to Captain Kurotsuchi." For several moments, Kurotsuchi didn't answer. When she did, it was too quiet for Toshiro to hear. "What was that?"

Nemu gathered herself and said, "Eaten."

Hinamori gasped, hands covering her mouth. Hitsugaya didn't react audibly, but he did rock back in shock. "Please, tell us everything." He had been right. Things were definitely worse than he had thought.

-x-

Ishida scratched his head. He had been sitting here for hours now with no sign of the others. It had been tempting to go check on Kurosaki after he felt the Arrancar's reiatsu spike, but he would have risked revealing himself to the two Captains who still had not left their post outside Rukia's cell. Luckily, his phone had a Crossword App to help pass the time.

"Five letter American military term for 'extremely bad situation' ending in 'r'…" he muttered to himself. This was ridiculous. He had been stuck on this clue for twenty minutes.

A sudden flare in Kurosaki's reiatsu pulled him away from the puzzle. Ishida jumped to his feet, feeling Kurosaki rapidly accelerating toward him. A look behind him confirmed that the pair of Captains had noticed the Arrancar's approach as well. "What the…?"

Kurosaki appeared in a flare of billowing white cloth. "Kurosaki, what on earth…?"

"No time. Chad and Inoue are fighting a Captain." Steel rang as he drew his Zanpakuto.

"A Captain? And you left them?"

"They were handling it. But I'd rather not take chances."

Ishida pushed his glasses up. "I agree. If you can take Byakuya Kuchiki, I will deal with the other."

"No." Ishida shot Kurosaki a questioning look. "I'll take both of them. You get Rukia."

"Both? And how do you intend to do that?" Ishida asked incredulously.

Kurosaki smirked. "I'm gonna hit them full force before they can even think of releasing their Zanpakuto. **Split the Sky! Zangetsu!**"

-x-

Byakuya had placed his hand on Senbonzakura the moment he felt Ichigo Kurosaki's reiatsu closing in. He started to draw it the instant he felt the Arrancar's power spike. He wasn't nearly fast enough.

A white boot slammed into his head and smashed him against the wall of the Senzaikyu. Through the stars floating in front of his eyes, Byakuya saw Captain Komamura receive a massive slice down his torso before the large Captain was booted off the bridge. Dimly, Byakuya heard the sound of Komamura crashing to the earth below.

Byakuya struggled through the haze of what was likely a concussion. "Sca – gack!" Byakuya choked as the Arrancar's tail whipped around his neck.

"Sorry, Byakuya," Ichigo said, "but I really don't feel like dealing with whatever your Zanpakuto can do. Already got my ass kicked by one of you Captains today." The Arrancar yanked Byakuya's sealed Zanpakuto out of his hand and tossed it after Captain Komamura. Out of the corner of his eye, Byakuya could see a figure in white working on the lock of Rukia's cell.

Byakuya struggled to breath as the tail lifted him by his neck and hauled him over to look the Arrancar in the eye. "Mon…ster…" he choked out. That got a rise out of Ichigo, who scowled then buried his knee in Byakuya's gut. "Gah!"

"I won't deny it. I need to eat souls in order to live. I definitely count that as monstrous. But…" The Arrancar growled deep in his throat. "At least I don't try to say I'm not."

"What are – gah!" Another knee to the stomach.

"Tell me. Do you know why older brothers are born first?" Byakuya found himself unable to look away from Ichigo's piercing yellow gaze. "It's so they can protect the little ones that come after them. Someone like you, willing to put your little sister to death… You're an even bigger monster than me."

-x-

Something was going on outside. She could hear yelling and moments ago something had smacked against the outside of her cell. Rukia looked to the door in surprise when the lock suddenly clicked and swung open. For the second time in two days, Rukia gaped as Uryuu Ishida strolled into her cell.

"Hello, Miss Kuchiki. Lovely weather today, isn't it?"

"Ishida…How did you get past the guards?"

Ishida glanced over his shoulder. "Kurosaki is dealing with them."

Rukia jumped at those words. _Ichigo!_ She rushed to the door and pushed past Ishida, both wanting to see him alive and dreading his transformation. As soon as she crossed the threshold, Rukia fell to her knees, struggling in the oppressive reiatsu given off by the tall figure in front of her.

"…Do you know why older brothers are born first?"

Rukia's eyes snapped up at the familiar voice and words. She remembered Ichigo saying the same thing to Orihime's brother when the Hollow had tried to devour his sister. Rukia stared as she took in Ichigo's new form. Then she noticed her brother being held off the ground by the tail around his throat.

"It's so they can protect the little ones that come after them. Someone like you, willing to put your little sister to death… You're an even bigger monster than me."

Ishida stepped up next to her, his own reiatsu helping to counter the crushing force of Ichigo's. "Kurosaki, we really need to get moving before more Captains show up."

Ichigo nodded and uncurled his tail from Byakuya's neck, allowing him to crumple on the ground in a heap. "Don't come after Rukia again." Turning from the downed Captain, Ichigo walked up to Rukia. "Hey, Rukia. How you been?"

"How have I been?" Rukia stared for a moment. "How have I been? Look at what I did to you! You became a Hollow because of me! Why would you come after me?"

"Technically, he's an Arrancar," Ishida chimed in.

"Not the point, Ishida," Ichigo growled. "And what do you mean 'What you did to me'? I did this to myself. Mostly. Hat-and-Clogs deserves some of the credit."

"If we had never met, this would have never happened to you!"

"Seriously?" Ichigo crossed his arms. "If we had never met, I would have been eaten by a Hollow."

"But…Hey!" Whatever Rukia was going to say went out the window when Ichigo picked her up and threw her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"All your opinions are being rejected! I came here to rescue you. Your job is to cower in a corner, saying 'Save me! Save me!'"

Ishida rolled his eyes as the pair continued to bicker like an old married couple while the trio retraced Ichigo's path back to Chad and Orihime.

-x-

Yoruichi grinned in satisfaction. Slipping in to the Central 46 Compound had been pitifully easy. _I need to suggest to Soifon about modifying the security measures. They haven't been changed since I broke in a hundred years ago…_

The former Captain ghosted down the corridors,completely silent. After a minute she stopped. _Wait…where is everyone?_ There should be guards all over the place. More urgently, but taking even greater care to move stealthily, Yoruichi continued to the assembly hall. She was getting a very bad feeling. The feeling grew the farther she went without seeing anyone. _No guards. No messengers. No assistants running to fetch some fresh tea for the wrinkly old men. The place is silent as a grave. This is not good._ Forgoing stealth completely, Yoruichi flash-stepped to the Underground Assembly Hall and dashed in when she saw the door sitting open.

Yoruichi nearly tripped when she saw the inside of the Hall. "What the hell?" Every member of the Central 46 lay dead before her. She quickly moved to investigate the nearest body. _The blood's completely dried and is flaking. This didn't happen within the last couple days. They've probably been dead since before Byakuya and Renji showed up in Karakura! _She needed to tell Soifon, and she needed to tell her now!

Yoruichi turned to the door, but stopped when she saw the figure standing there. She cursed herself for letting her guard down for even a moment.

"Well now…ain't this a surprise. You ain't supposed to be here, Yoruichi," Gin Ichimaru said, his usual creepy smile plastered across his face.

* * *

><p><strong>Evil Cliffhanger!<strong>

**Before people get after me for Ichigo curb-stomping Komamura and Byakuya, I do have reasons for it. Both of them had their Zanpakuto sealed. Ichigo in Resureccion is a bit stronger and faster than Canon!Ichigo's Bankai. We know from canon that Ichigo could have killed Byakuya (who was also using his Bankai) within the first three seconds of releasing his Bankai. Komamura got his ass kicked by Kenpachi (who was wearing his eye patch at the time). Without at least Shikai, neither stood a chance against Ichigo's Resureccion. Don't worry, Komamura fans, he's not dead and we will be seeing him later.**

**Next chapter we see how Yoruichi's encounter with Gin goes down and check back in with Orihime and Chad vs. Kenpachi.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. I do own bleach, which I… wait; I already did that joke didn't I?**

**Posted Chapter 13, and realized an hour later that I had missed a perfect opportunity for Ichigo to throw Byakuya's "You are slow, even at falling" line right back in his face! Damn you, hindsight!**

**Congratulations to Metal Dragoon and Van the Rogue Soul Drinker for being #120 and 130 respectively.**

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><p><em>This is not good.<em> Yoruichi stared Gin down. _How the hell could I let this brat get the drop on me? God, I've let myself go!_ She was the former Captain of the Second Division! She's the one who's supposed to do the sneaking up on! As things stood, Yoruichi was more pissed off that she had not noticed Gin than she was worried.

"Hiya, Gin, how've you been?" Yoruichi asked cheerfully. "I see you made it to Captain. Yamamoto must have really been scraping the bottom of the barrel."

Gin's smile didn't budge. "I've been doing pretty good. I don't suppose you would be willing to just surrender?"

Yoruichi tapped her chin in mock contemplation. "No, I don't think I will. I think I'll just be on my way to tell someone about this."

"Tell about what? How I, the loyal Captain, discovered the traitor Yoruichi in the Underground Assembly Hall, surrounded by the dead bodies of the Central 46?"

Yoruichi's eyes narrowed. He was right of course. As far as most of the Gotei 13 was concerned, she was the criminal here. While Gin was not technically supposed to be here either, all he had to do was say that he followed a suspicious looking person. _Stupid conspiracy…_

Gin drew his Zanpakuto. "Still, better safe than sorry. I'm gonna have to kill you, Yoruichi."

Yoruichi smiled. "Don't get cocky, brat. You're centuries too early to even think of catching me."

"We'll see, won't we? Shoot to kill. Shinso."

Yoruichi flashed out of the way of the extending blade. Gin corrected his aim and fired Shinso again and again. The Goddess of Flash darted around the room, shouting encouragement.

"Oh…So close…Almost had me that time…Getting warmer…Nope, colder…"

Gin proved immune to her attempts to rile him up, his expression remaining one of detached amusement. Deciding that the fox-faced creep wasn't likely to fly off the handle and make a huge mistake anytime soon, Yoruichi went on the offensive. The former Captain nimbly hopped over the next thrust, landed on the extended blade, and shot up it to its wielder. Yoruichi took a moment to savor Gin's smirk being replaced by a look of surprise before she punched him square in the face.

-x-

Gin shot backwards out of the Assembly Hall, skidding on his back for a ways before he could recover and flip to his feet. By the time his sandals hit the floor, Yoruichi had blown past him, heading for the exit. Gin spun to try and pursue, but he tripped and face-planted when his hakama dropped down around his ankles. Looking up, he saw Yoruichi vanish down a hall and his obi flutter to the ground in front of him.

"Well…that's embarrassing." Gin contemplated leaving that part of the encounter out when he informed Aizen, but discarded the thought. It saved him the trouble of coming up with a plausible story for why he let Yoruichi get away. _Speaking of which…_ Gin pulled his pants back up and turned back to the Assembly Hall when he heard the sound of air ripping. He could feel several reiatsu signatures inside, all but one feeling strongly of Hollow.

_Things are gonna start heating up…_

"Hello, Gin. How are things proceeding?"

-x-

"You've got to be kidding me."

"Sorry, Ichigo."

"We're really sorry! But we couldn't figure out how to stop him and Tsubaki was yelling at me again and Chad was getting tired and we had knocked down so many of the poor buildings and we didn't know how long you would take and Mr. Zaraki was the one who suggested it and…"

Ichigo groaned as Inoue rambled on. In his hand was a torn piece of paper. It read, "The holder of the other half of this paper is entitled to one duel to the death with Ichigo Kurosaki. The voucher can be redeemed at any time after Ichigo Kurosaki has escaped from Soul Society."

"They managed to convince him to wait until we've gotten out of Soul Society at least," Ishida commented.

"Shut up, Ishida."

"As amusing as this is, would you hurry up and put me down?"

"Ah! Rukia, you're okay!" Inoue snapped out of her rambling as Rukia dropped to the ground and started fussing over the former prisoner.

"I'm fine!" Rukia shouted, trying to fend Inoue off.

Ichigo turned to Ishida and Chad. "Well, we've got Rukia. Now we need to get out of here." All three boys froze when they realized they had overlooked a very important potential problem. "We never actually came up with an escape plan…did we?"

Ishida shakily pushed his glasses up. "We were rather preoccupied with becoming strong enough to reach Ms. Kuchiki in the first place. The subject of getting back out somehow never came up."

"What?" Rukia squawked. "You idiots pulled this insanity off and didn't even think about how you were getting out afterward? What kind of moronic rescue is this?"

"All your opinions are still being rejected," Ichigo shot back. Then the metaphorical light bulb went on in his head. "Hey, why don't we just go through the gate I blasted to bits? No way they could have gotten that sealed up in just two days, right?"

"While good in theory, I expect we would run into problems in practice. Specifically, I doubt the Shinigami have left the gaping hole in their defensive wall undefended," Ishida pointed out.

"Well, if you have a better idea, let's hear it."

"Perhaps I could make a few suggestions," an unfamiliar female voice said. Ichigo spun around, saw the small woman wearing a white haori, and lashed out with his cleaver.

-x-

Soifon barely dodged the oversized butcher's knife the Arrancar swung at her head. In hindsight, speaking up from right behind them before otherwise alerting them to her presence had not been the best idea. "Wait a moment!" She drew Suzumebachi and deflected a barrage of arrows. "I'm not here to fight!" She dropped Suzumebachi and held her hands up to show she meant no harm. The Arrancar and Quincy stopped their next attacks, but didn't lower their weapons.

"Judging by your haori, you are a Captain. Which begs the question of why you do not want to fight," the Quincy said.

"Because I'm working on revealing the conspiracy in Soul Society that resulted in the loss of around a third of the Captains and Vice-Captains one hundred years ago and Rukia Kuchiki receiving the death penalty." She picked up Suzumebachi and returned it to its sheath. "Good enough reason?"

Her assailants looked at each other and lowered their weapons. However, the Quincy did not dissipate his bow and the Arrancar had yet to reseal his Zanpakuto. Soifon understood their wariness, but now was not the time for it.

"My name is Soifon. Captain of the 2nd Division and former servant and student of Yoruichi Shihoin." Dropping Lady Yoruichi's name seemed to get them to relax a bit. "I've recently learned that you are unaware of the true seriousness of the situation you've walked into. There are things that you should have been told before coming here."

"And that would be…?"

"Several of the current Captains are traitors, working to obtain an object that until very recently was in Urahara's hands. I can give more details, but it would be best to go to ground right now, before more Captains arrive."

The Quincy pulled out a device similar to the one Lady Yoruichi had used. "The nearest one of Urahara's bolt holes is in the direction." He pointed to the far side of Sokyoku Hill. "It looks like it has enough space for all of us."

Soifon nodded. "Lead on."

-x-

Hitsugaya looked at the report in front of him. In it was a detailed account of exactly what had transpired during the battle between Captain Kurotsuchi and Ichigo Kurosaki, from Kurotsuchi putting up the barrier to Kurosaki devouring him. Vice-Captain Kurotsuchi had included estimates on the Arrancar's speed and power and a list of the abilities he had displayed. It contained everything Hitsugaya needed to learn about what he was up against. He made a mental note (in all caps, bold, and underlined several times) to not get hit by that "Getsuga Tensho". The endless barrage of weapons would be troublesome as well.

However, he was starting to have doubts. The report included everything, including Captain Kurotsuchi's orders to his Lieutenant to go to the Living World and kidnap Kurosaki's sisters. Nemu said that until hearing that, the Arrancar's goal had been simply to escape and that he had shown no interest in eating either of them. Only after his siblings were threatened did Kurosaki fight to kill and even then he had not expressed any desire to eat Kurotsuchi until the very end.

Even Hinamori admitted that didn't sound like the actions of a bloodthirsty Hollow and was in fact at odds with what Captain Ichimaru had reported in regards to Aizen's death. Captain Aizen was not the kind of person who would threaten innocents who had nothing to do with the current situation. So what had motivated Kurosaki to kill Aizen the way he had?

So here he was with two conflicting accounts of attacks by Ichigo Kurosaki. The question was, which –if either - was accurate?

-x-

Soifon looked around the cavern. She had to admit she was impressed. This had been sitting under Sokyoku Hill for over a century and no one had noticed? A cough pulled her attention back to the assembled ryoka and one former prisoner.

"I believe you had an explanation for us?" Uryuu Ishida asked.

Soifon nodded. "You may want to sit down." Soifon did so herself and the ryoka followed her example. "A little over a century ago, Urahara created an object he called the 'Hogyoku'…"

-after a lot of exposition that you can find by reading the manga-

Rukia felt like she was going to throw up. "This thing is…inside me?" Captain Soifon nodded.

Ichigo smashed his fist into the rocky floor, leaving a fair sized crater. "When we get back, I'm shoving a Cero up Hat-and-Clogs' ass."

-Living World-

A certain shopkeeper got a sudden and inexplicable feeling of Impending Doom.

-Seireitei-

"I won't stop you," Rukia said. "That complete and utter…AARG! 'Would you like to borrow a gigai, miss?' my foot! Why did I ever trust that guy?"

Soifon shrugged. "I can't say I agree with his choice of methods, but I do agree that something like the Hogyoku must be kept out of Aizen's hands. If he gets a hold of it…imagine an army of Arrancar as powerful as or stronger than Kurosaki, with none of the morals."

That thought would be keeping the ryoka up at night for a while.

Ishida looked at Soifon. "You said you had a method to get us out of Soul Society?"

"Yes. The Senkaimon. I can open it and send you back to the Living World."

"But we would have to use the official Senkaimon. And it will be guarded by the Kido Corps," Rukia said.

Soifon smirked. "That's not quite true. In fact, you should know of another, far less heavily protected option, Lady Kuchiki." Rukia's eyes widened in understanding and she clapped a fist into her palm.

"That's right! There's a private Senkaimon for clan use on the Kuchiki estate!"

"If we can get you all to that Senkaimon, you can get back to the Living World."

Ichigo jumped to his feet. "Well what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

"Without Lady Yoruichi?"

"Oh."

"I also think it would be wise to wait here a few days," Soifon suggested.

Ishida nodded. "If some time passes with no activity from us, patrols will start to become complacent, making it easier to sneak onto the Kuchiki estate."

"My thoughts exactly."

So the ryoka settled in to wait for the heat to die down. They had rescued Rukia and they had a concrete plan to make their getaway. What could possibly go wrong?

* * *

><p><strong>Did anyone else wonder how the hell Ichigo and co. planned to get out of Soul Society in canon? I mean, they didn't even know how they were getting in. Seriously, these things are kind of basic when planning a rescue...<strong>

**Okay, everyone, do you all know what Friday (12-16-2011) is? That's right! It's my 22****nd**** birthday. And do you know what I really want more than anything? Lots of reviews! So please, make my birthday wish come true by clicking the "Review" button and telling me what you think.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: Can I stop doing this? I think after seeing it at the start of the last fourteen chapters everyone would be aware that I do not own Bleach.**

**AN: Um…*double-check to make sure I'm not hallucinating* Holy crap…**

**Ahem. Thank you everyone that reviewed. In the three days after I posted Chapter 14, this story got 65 reviews! Second best present I ever got. For those wondering, first place is held by the Bon Jovi concert tickets I got last year. **

**Congratulations to:**

**#140 – alethiophile**

**#150 – TWILLINATOR**

**#160 – Devil of Fate**

**#170 – Love Psycho**

**#180 – vikraal**

**#190 – vikraal**

**#200 – Blinded in a bolthole**

* * *

><p>Byakuya Kuchiki awoke to an unfamiliar ceiling. It took him a moment to realize he was in one of the 4th Division's recovery rooms. He turned to the window and saw that the sky was dark. <em>How long have I been out?<em> He tried to sit up, but the pain in his skull made him reconsider that course of action. The sound of a door sliding open drew his attention.

"Welcome back, Captain Kuchiki," Captain Unohana said, sitting down in the chair next to his bed and running a diagnostic Kido over him.

"How long was I out?"

"About eight hours. And you will be remaining in that bed at least until morning." Unohana was smiling and using her 'Disobey me and I'll show you how badly an expert doctor can mess you up' tone of voice. She must not have had a good day. Byakuya did the smart thing and nodded in agreement. Then he remembered that he had not been alone outside the Senzaikyu.

"How is Captain Komamura? Did he survive?"

Unohana nodded. "His injuries were far more severe than yours, but he will make a full recovery within the week. Also, your Lieutenant has healed and was released not long after you were brought in."

"What of Captain Kurotsuchi? I felt his reiatsu disappear."

Unohana sighed. "According to his Lieutenant, Captain Kurotsuchi was eaten the Arrancar following their battle. I suppose you two were lucky he wasn't still hungry." Unohana stood up. "Excuse me. I need to make sure that Captain Zaraki hasn't made another escape attempt. The man seems to be laboring under the delusion that simply having his wounds bandaged clears him to leave."

Byakuya turned his gaze to the ceiling as Unohana left. _Ichigo Kurosaki._ The Arrancar was a far cry from the pathetic brat he had left for dead in the Living World. His power was truly monstrous now.

"_You're an even bigger monster than me."_

Byakuya scowled. He was starting to realize that he had really screwed himself over with those two vows. 'Always uphold the law' and 'always protect Rukia'. Of course he never considered that his promises might end up conflicting.

_What would your advice be, Hisana?_

Wait. That was a stupid question. She'd ask him to save her sister of course. He ran into the same problem when he contemplated what his father's advice would be.

_I suppose the one good thing about being confined to my bed is that I have plenty of time to think…_

The Captain of the 6th Division was not going to get much sleep tonight.

-x-

"Kurosaki."

Ichigo turned to look at the petite Captain. Everyone else had gone to sleep a few hours ago. Ichigo had stayed up, sitting at the entrance to the hideout and watching the stars. "Huh?"

"I have questions for you." Soifon leaned against the cave wall and folded her arms. Ichigo noticed her sheathed Zanpakuto was held in one hand instead of its usual place at her waist. "What happened to Captain Kurotsuchi?"

Ichigo stood up and leaned against the opposite wall. "Why do you want to know?" Ichigo's hand twitched as he suppressed the urge to reach for Zangetsu.

Soifon frowned. "Because despite the assurances of Lady Yoruichi and Captain Ukitake, it is in my nature to be distrustful of a Hollow."

"Planning to kill me if you don't like my answer?"

"I am considering it."

"Go ahead and try."

Shinigami and Arrancar glared at each other, tensed for a fight. Then Soifon sighed and forced herself to relax. "Please look at this from my perspective. I am charged with the protection of Soul Society. You are an Arrancar who has not only successfully invaded my home, but killed a Captain and put two more out of action. That's a quarter of our most powerful soldiers taken down in less than twenty-four hours. Couple that with the prospect of three more Captains being traitors and you can see why I'm on edge.

"When I actually report to the Commander-General about this, I need to be able to assure him that if we leave you alone and focus on Aizen, you will not hit us from behind."

Ichigo groaned and face-palmed. There was something else they had forgotten about. They never thought about what would happen after they got Rukia out of Soul Society. It wasn't likely the Shinigami would have let bygones be bygones. "You don't need to worry about us attacking you. So long as Soul Society doesn't bother us, I'm perfectly happy not having anything to do with you all."

"That's nice to hear, but you didn't answer my original question."

Ichigo grimaced. _No getting around it I guess._ Keeping an eye on Soifon's sword, he said, "I ate him." Seeing Soifon's free hand start to drift towards her weapon, Ichigo gulped. "Now, hang on a sec…It's not like I've been going around eating every Shinigami I come across, right? Just Clown-face." Since Soifon wasn't attacking, Ichigo kept talking. "So long as I've got Hollows to eat, I don't have any problems. There's plenty of Hollows in Karakura, and I can always go to Hueco Mundo to get more if I have to."

"So you only ate Kurotsuchi because you were starving?"

"That was part of it. The main reason was he threatened my family." Ichigo's knuckles popped as his hands curled into fists. "He told his Lieutenant to kidnap my sisters so he could experiment on them. So he could try to make them like me. I'll slaughter everyone in this place if that's what it would take to keep that from happening." Ichigo reached up and tugged open his kimono, showing Soifon the hole in his chest then tapped a finger against the mask fragment on his face. "I didn't ask for this, you know. I was trying to become a Shinigami again. I'm trying to make the best of it, but it still sucks.

"In exchange for the power I've gained, I've become a monster. So long as I get enough to eat I can stay sane and in control of myself. But there's always the fear that it won't be enough, niggling at the back of my mind. That one day, I'll wake up and see people - my friends, my family - not as people, but as food. I don't want Yuzu and Karin to have to deal with this. Hell, I don't want to deal with this, but there's no way I'm taking the easy way out."

Soifon blinked. "You realize that most of that speech does not give me much incentive to not kill you right now, right?"

Ichigo gave her a wry grin. "Guess not. But it felt good to get it off my chest."

Soifon straightened up and returned her Zanpakuto to the back of her waist. "In my opinion, you need to get some kind of counseling, but I believe that you can be trusted for now." She fixed Ichigo with another glare. "Whether or not I continue to do so will depend on your actions in the future."

"I can live with that."

"Good." Then her lips turned up in a smirk. "On a related note, telling people you killed Kurotsuchi might cause them to shake your hand. He wasn't well liked and I've been trying to find a reason to throw him back in the Maggot's Nest for decades. Unfortunately, he was very good at covering up anything he knew would get him in trouble."

Ichigo blinked at the sudden change in attitude. "Um…you're…welcome?"

"Just don't eat anyone else while you're here." She walked to the edge of the cliff. "I need to get back to my division. I'll return in a few days once it's safe to make your escape." Soifon jumped out into space and flashed away.

Ichigo watched her go then turned back into the hideout. _Guess I might as well go to bed now._ He got halfway down the ladder before he stopped. _Wait. What the hell am I going to eat for the next few days?_

-x-

Soifon made it most of the way back to the 2nd Division Headquarters before she ran into Yoruichi. Quite literally in fact. The former noble appeared directly in Soifon's path, too suddenly to even think about stopping. The two women tumbled out of the air and crashed to the ground. Soifon groaned as she gingerly climbed to her feet and glared at her out-of-breath mentor.

"Lady Yoruichi, what are you doing?" she hissed. "What if someone sees you?"

"Too…important…" the taller woman gasped. "Central 46…slaughtered. Gin was…there…Been...looking for you…all day." Yoruichi struggled to get her breathing under control.

Soifon stared in shock as her mind struggled to comprehend what Yoruichi had just said. After a few moments of standing there with her mouth hanging open, Soifon's mind rebooted enough for her to string together a coherent thought. "They're dead? But…how long?"

Yoruichi looked grim. "Best estimate? Weeks."

"But if that's true…Who have we been taking orders from?" Even as she voiced the question, Soifon realized the answer. The entire Seireitei had been dancing to Aizen's tune all this time. "We need to inform Captain Ukitake." She pulled a container of black powder from her sleeve.

-2nd Division Headquarters-

"We should inform the Commander-General," Jushiro said.

Soifon pinched the bridge of her nose. "I agree completely. The problem is we still don't have any solid proof. Only eyewitness testimony from a condemned traitor. No offense, Lady Yoruichi."

"None taken," Yoruichi assured her. "Like you said, I'm not exactly a credible source of intelligence as far as the old man is concerned. We would be too busy trying to convince him I wasn't the one who killed the 46 to get him to listen about Aizen."

"We're caught between a rock and a hard place," Ukitake observed. "Yamamoto needs to be told what Aizen is planning so the Gotei 13 can prepare or he's going to catch us flat-footed. But as far as most of the Seireitei is concerned, Aizen is dead and we don't have any evidence to convince them otherwise."

Yoruichi sighed. "I think the only thing we can do right now is focus on getting the Hogyoku out of Soul Society. Karakura has almost as much firepower as the Seireitei, and we don't have to convince anyone there that Aizen is up to no good."

"Agreed," Soifon said. "Right now, they're hiding under Sokyoku Hill. We're planning on using the Kuchiki's Senkaimon once the patrols start to relax."

"So that's where they are. Thank you for the information, Soifon."

Three heads snapped toward the window. Three pairs of eyes widened at the sight of Sosuke Aizen leaning against the wall next to it.

"When…?"

"The entire time of course. I tracked you, Lady Yoruichi, after Gin informed me of your encounter with him. I had hoped you would lead me to Miss Kuchiki. But I must say, this is even better." He drew his Zanpakuto. "I can dispose of the only three people who know I am still alive, then take the Hogyoku at my leisure."

Soifon and Ukitake drew their own swords. "Do you think you can take all three of us, Aizen?" Jushiro asked.

Aizen smiled. "I already have," his voice said from behind them.

Blood splattered Soifon's office.

-x-

Aizen calmly walked out of the 2nd Division. _Hiding under the place meant to be for your execution. How poetic._ He pulled out a cloth and wiped the blood from Kyoka Suigetsu's blade. _I suppose I did not need to bring them after all..._ He paused. _Perhaps…_

Aizen smiled. Yes, that was a good idea. Most of them would be getting demoted soon anyway. It might be a good idea to see just how well the current generation faired against the Gotei 13.

* * *

><p><strong>*Dodges various deadly objects<strong>*** I regret nothing!**

**What's Aizen planning? It's not something good for our heroes, that's for sure!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: "Yes! I've done it! I've finally acquired the rights to Bleach! Ahahahahaha!" Suddenly Cerokun wakes up to find out his epic takeover of the rights to Bleach was all just a dream. "...Damn it."**

***Cerokun peeks out of his bunker, only to hastily slam the door to deny the mob access***

**Honestly, some people have no appreciation for drama…**

***Cerokun hears booming noises as the mob attacks the door with a battering ram***

**Um…okay, quick list of the milestones…**

***door starts to dent inward***

**#210: Zaralann**

**#220: EVA-Saiyajin**

**#230: cloudstrife117**

**Thank you for the reviews, I'm retreating to my inner panic room.**

***the bunker door gives way and the mob rushes in, but is stopped by another reinforced door, this one with a note taped to it***

"_**I apologize for the wait. I'm ashamed to say I missed my self-imposed deadline of two weeks between updates. I promise to do better next chapter."**_

* * *

><p>"…fon."<p>

_Everything hurts. Why does it hurt?_

"…Soifon!"

_Oh right. Aizen attacked us. He killed me._

"Captain Soifon!"

_Why does being dead hurt so much? And why is it so loud?_

"Captain Soifon! Please respond!"

Soifon's eyes snapped open, focusing on the large, blurry shape leaning over her. Reflexively, she lashed out, gaining a howl of pain from her assailant and causing a wave of excruciating agony to shoot up and down her body.

"Captain, please remain still! You'll open your wounds!"

Soifon fell back against the floor, gritting her teeth against the pain. Her vision started to clear, allowing her to see several members of her Onmitsukido gathered around her, one of them with the glow of a healing Kido surrounding his hands. _That explains why I'm not dead._ She noticed her Lieutenant rolling on the floor, clutching his abused nose. Soifon turned her attention back to the man healing her. "How bad are my injuries?"

"Very serious, ma'am. You were stabbed from behind –"

"By a Zanpakuto, wielded by the reportedly dead Captain Aizen, in the vicinity of my Saketsu and Hakusui. I'm aware of that. I asked how bad the damage is."

The man blinked at the mention of Aizen. "Er…Neither were hit –"

"That's all I need to know." Inwardly, Soifon sighed in relief and thanked the Spirit King for the countless hours she had spent honing her reflexes. "What of Captain Ukitake and Lady Yoruichi?"

"We've been able to stabilize them. Neither has regained consciousness as of yet. Yoruichi Shihoin had injuries similar to yours, though she suffered some slight damage to her Saketsu. It will heal in time. She has been restrained and placed under guard –"

"You will have her released and the guards returned to their original posts."

"Um…Yes, ma'am. Captain Ukitake's injuries are more serious. We have been able to get him out of immediate danger, but if he has an attack in his current condition he could take a turn for the worse."

"Get our best medics up here to keep an eye on him if you have not done so already. Then send someone to summon Captain Unohana."

"Yes ma'am!" Two members of the group immediately vanished, moving to fulfill her orders.

"Omaeda."

Her Lieutenant blinked at her through watery eyes, blood still pouring from his nose. "Yes, Captain Soifon?"

"How did you know to come?"

"Bakudo connected to a silent alarm, Captain. You set it up yourself."

That's right, she did, didn't she? That had been years ago and it had never actually been tripped before outside of testing. Soifon had completely forgotten about it thanks to current events.

"Good to know something is working right." She was forgetting something. Something important. Blood loss made it hard to think clearly.

_Think. Aizen attacked us. He had been listening. We were talking about the ryoka…_

"He knows!" Every one of her subordinates jumped at Soifon's outburst. She tried to sit up, but a fresh wave of pain convinced her that wasn't a good idea. "You!" She yelled at a random subordinate who didn't look like he was doing anything important at the moment. "Lady Yoruichi has a Soul Pager! Find it now! Quickly!"

_Please don't let me be too late!_

-x-

"Gin? If you would be so kind as to collect Miss Kuchiki?"

"Sure thing, Captain Aizen."

"Cirucci. Dordoni. Go with him."

"Si, Lord Aizen."

The trio disappeared and Aizen turned to the five other Espada he had brought with him.

"Go, my Espada. Show the Shinigami your power. Until I have the Hogyoku, kill and destroy to your hearts' content."

"**Hail, Lord Aizen!"**

Atop Sokyoku Hill, Aizen smiled as the Espada and their Fraccion dispersed and the mayhem began.

-x-

Ichigo awoke to something buzzing in his kimono. Groggily he fished out the phone and squinted at the screen. "Wadda ya want, Yoruichi?" he grumbled.

"Kurosaki! Get up and get out now!" Ichigo frowned. His half-asleep brain slowly recognized that as Soifon's voice. Why was she calling from Yoruichi's phone? "You need to go now! He knows where you are!" Ichigo jumped and nearly dropped the phone.

"Say that again?"

"Aizen's found you!"

Ichigo snapped to full alertness. "Shit! Wake up!" He tossed a low-powered Cero into a boulder. The resulting explosion and gravel shower did a fine job of waking the rest of the group. "Come on! We gotta go!" He brought the phone back to his ear. "You still there, Soifon?"

"Yes. Have Kuchiki lead you to the Kuchiki estate. I will meet you –" Ichigo heard a hiss of pain. "Some of my Onmitsukido will meet you there to open the Senkaimon."

"Great. We'll see 'em there." Ichigo stowed the phone and looked at his friends. Ishida and Chad were up and alert. Rukia was getting there and Inoue was trying to rub the sleep from her eyes. "We're busted. That Aizen guy got the drop on Soifon. We need to go before he and his cronies show up."

"Too late for that, Kurosaki."

Ichigo followed Ishida's gaze to the top of the exit ladder. Three figures had dropped through the trapdoor and were standing in the air, blocking the teens' escape route.

"That reiatsu…" Chad said.

Ishida nodded. "It's the same as Kurosaki's. Two of them are Arrancar. Strong ones."

"And the other guy's a Captain. This really isn't going to be our day, is it?" Ichigo drew Zangetsu.

-x-

"Interesante! That niño down there really is an Arrancar!" Dordoni exclaimed. "And he has some pretty strong reiatsu! He could probably be an Espada!"

"Doesn't matter," Cirucci said. "If he stands against Lord Aizen, we kill him."

"Now, now. Don't be so hasty, you two." Gin smiled. "No sense starting a fight if we can avoid one."

Gin landed softly a fair distance from the ryoka. His smile widened when they all tensed. "No need to be so worried. I'm just here to talk." He waved his empty hands in the air. "See? No weapon."

The orange-haired Arrancar snorted, Zanpakuto held ready. "Like you couldn't draw your sword and be right next to me in the time it takes to blink."

_Sharp kid._ Gin's expression didn't waver. "Aw, don't be like that. I'm not here to hurt anyone."

"You were going to have Rukia executed to get the Hoga-thingy out of her, and now that that's fallen through, you're taking the direct approach. I'd qualify that as 'hurt'," Ichigo deadpanned.

If his eyes weren't already shut, Gin would have blinked at the revelation that they knew about the Hogyoku. _Captain Aizen was sure that Urahara would keep that from them. _ "Well, yes, I can't deny that. But you know, it really is in Miss Kuchiki's best interest that we take the Hogyoku out of her."

"What are you talking about?"

Gin opened one eye a crack, his smile predatory. "Think about it, kid. The Hogyoku breaks down the barriers between Shinigami and Hollow. I don't know about you, but having that inside her sounds a little hazardous to me." He felt a thrill when he saw Rukia flinch. "Captain Aizen's got a way to remove it. Won't hurt a bit. What do you say? Let us take the Hogyoku and you all can go on your merry way. We'll even help you all get out of the Seireitei."

"Go to hell."

Gin shrugged. "Your choice. Dordoni. Cirucci."

The kid blocked Dordoni's kick, but Cirucci's killer yo-yo thing smashed into the side of his head, throwing him into a rock outcrop and burying him under rubble. Gin flash-stepped around the group of teenagers, appearing behind Rukia. A barrage of blue arrows prevented him from grabbing her. Gin dodged the arrows, but the Quincy stuck with him, firing bolt after bolt. The assault stopped when Dordoni intercepted the archer. Gin moved to make another grab for Rukia, only to break off to avoid the armored fist aimed at his skull. Shinso came up, spearing toward the giant's unarmored chest, but stopped dead when it made contact with a triangular barrier that appeared from the auburn-haired girl's hairpins. Cirucci struck at the girl's back, but Kurosaki had recovered and kicked her weapon away then fired a Cero at the gothic lolita Arrancar. Cirucci narrowly avoided the deadly beam and all the combatants separated.

"Well, that didn't go as I had planned," Gin admitted, scratching at the back of his neck.

"Too bad," Ichigo taunted, "because it did for us."

"Hm?" Then Gin realized that in the flurry of combat, the ryoka had maneuvered themselves under the exit. The giant grabbed the two girls and jumped up the ladder to the trapdoor, followed by the Quincy and Arrancar. "Clever kids…" Gin leapt after them, but pulled up short when he saw the red glow coming from the opening. "…Crap." Then the world went red.

-x-

"I think we should stop planning things out. Our 'thought up at the last possible second' stuff seems to work better," Ichigo remarked. He slid the trapdoor's hatch back into place and started shoving every heavy object he could find on top of it.

"I will admit that our plans do have a disturbing tendency to go awry," Ishida agreed.

"And I think our escape plan is about to do the same…" Rukia said. "Do you all feel that? Those two Arrancar down there are not the only ones in Seireitei…"

Rukia was right. The ryoka could detect multiple reiatsu signatures similar to Ichigo's.

"You're quite right about that, Miss Kuchiki. However, my soldiers are not the ones you need to worry about."

Ichigo palmed his face. "I'm not even going to turn around. Rukia? Who snuck up on us this time?"

"…Captain Aizen…" Rukia answered fearfully.

"Of course it is… Any chance of him going away if we pretend we didn't notice him?"

"I'm afraid not," Aizen answered.

"Didn't think so. Split the sky! Zangetsu!" Ichigo spun and lunged for the man, his massive cleaver screaming for blood.

-x-

"Come on! Is that all you Shinigami can do?" The lanky Arrancar swung his massive crescent shaped Zanpakuto and bisected three more Shinigami. "What a bore! Where are all the Captains? Too scared to come out and die?"

"Snap! Tobiume!"

"Huh?" Nnoitora looked down as several fireballs impacted his chest. "Nice try! But out of all the Espada, I've got the strongest Hierro!" Nnoitora searched for the source of the fireballs.

"Sit upon the frozen heavens! Hyorinmaru!"

"Whoa!" The Arrancar barely avoided the dragon of ice. His uncovered eye spotted the pair of figures standing on a nearby roof, swords in hand. He grinned when he saw the white Captain's haori. "That's more like it. Tesla!"

His Fraccion appeared beside him. "Yes, Lord Nnoitora?"

Nnoitora Gilga pointed at the second figure. "Deal with that one. The Captain's mine."

-x-

"So this is the so called 'Shinigami Research Institute'." The pink-haired Arrancar strolled through the gate, his two Fraccion bouncing along behind him. Szayel Apporo Granz smirked. "I'm sure they won't mind if I drop in to examine some of their work.

-x-

"Where's Captain Ukitake?" Kiyone yelled at her counterpart.

"He was going to the 2nd Division last I saw him!" Sentaro shouted back.

The pair was detecting Hollow reiatsu from all over Seireitei. With Ukitake away it fell to the two third seats to organize the 13th Division.

Both Shinigami suddenly detected a presence behind them and spun, hands on their swords. Their mouths dropped open in shock at the sight of the last person they ever expected to see, standing there as if he was not supposed to be dead.

"Hey, you two," Kaien Shiba greeted them with a smile. "How have you been?"

-x-

"Out of the way, Yumichika! I'm fighting him!"

"You had your pick of opponent last time, Ikkaku. It's my turn."

Gantenbainne Mosqueda stared at the two strange Shinigami as they argued over who would be the one to fight him.

-x-

"You know, Shawlong, this just doesn't seem fair." The blue-haired Arrancar stared over the Seireitei from his perch on the Senzaikyu.

Shawlong Kufang looked at his leader. "What do you mean, Grimmjow?"

Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez grinned. "It's not fair that we should get to have all this fun, and all those unfortunate Hollows back in Hueco Mundo are never going to get a chance like this. I think we should fix that. Don't you?"

Shawlong smiled. "I do indeed. Edorad? Nakeem? Yylfordt? Di Roy? If you would be so kind?"

The Fraccion grinned sadistically and vanished. Grimmjow's grin widened when he heard the sound of Gargantas opening from four different directions and the roars of Hollows started to fill the air. "Much better. Now, let's go find someone worth killing."

-x-

The Vizard had many ways to stop Ichigo's razor-edged weapon from killing them. Hachi would create a barrier. Kensei would dart inside Ichigo's range and disarm him (sometimes literally after they learned about Ichigo's regeneration). Shinji would use his ridiculously annoying Zanpakuto's power to get Ichigo to attack empty air.

None of them simply held up their hand and stopped the blade cold.

For a second, Ichigo froze in shock, his mind struggling to comprehend what had just happened. He had his reiatsu as sharp and focused as he could make it! Blocking his cleaver with just his palm – hell, with any bare skin – should result in flying body parts and lots of blood.

"Is that all?" Silver flashed and Ichigo barely backed off in time to avoid being sliced in half. Ichigo glanced at his cleaver and his eyes widened when he saw a trickle of red on the blade. He turned his gaze back to Aizen's hand. Sure enough there was a thin red line on his palm. _So I did get him. Alright, let's try this!_

"Getsuga –!" But now Aizen was behind him, Zanpakuto cutting through his Hierro like a hot knife through butter. Ichigo dropped like a puppet with its strings cut, his spine split in two and multiple organs pierced.

"I understand you have a very efficient healing ability. I wonder how well it will be able to deal with those wounds?"

"_A silver rod strikes the five-fingered stone bed! Gritz!_"

A stone barrier appeared and enclosed Aizen, trapping him inside.

"Sado! Get Kurosaki!"

However, the Gritz technique proved less effective than Ishida had hoped. Aizen easily sliced through the stone and severed Chad's right arm before the giant knew what was happening.

Ishida was next. The Quincy's arrows washed over him, no more dangerous than a summer rain shower. Aizen's sword flashed and relieved Ishida of his left hand and leg.

-x-

Aizen turned his attention from the three disabled ryoka to his target and the other girl. He smiled as the young woman pushed Rukia behind her, standing between them. Admirable. But incredibly foolish.

"Do you honestly think you can stop me?" The girl did not have much power. Most fourth seats had stronger reiatsu than she did. "My only interest is Miss Kuchiki. Step aside and I promise you will not be harmed."

"I refuse."

"Orihime!" Rukia was trying to move her out of the way.

"Don't worry, Rukia. I'll be fine." The girl turned to face Aizen, her face set with resolve. "I won't let you get away with this. I won't let anyone get away with hurting my friends."

Aizen smiled indulgently. "Then by all means, show me how you intend to do that."

"Tsubaki." Aizen had to admit he was intrigued by the little creature that emerged from the girl's hairpin. It was rather similar to the materialization of a Zanpakuto. "Koten Zanshun." Aizen raised his free hand to cancel whatever attack or power she was about to use.

"I reject."

And Aizen felt nothing but pain.

* * *

><p><strong>This is why making a habit of No Selling your opponents attacks, instead of doing the smart thing and using your overpowered, game breaking Zanpakuto, can be hazardous to your health. Eventually, you run into the one person with a bigger game breaker power than you.<strong>

**You all didn't really think I would kill Soifon, Yoruichi, and Ukitake did you? As if the leader of a division full of spies and assassins would not have something set up to alert her subordinates if something happened to her.**

**It's the home stretch, folks! Rejoice, because next chapter's probably going to be a long one. Will Ichigo and company make it back to Karakura alive? Who's going to win the various Shinigami vs. Arrancar fights? Will Seireitei still be standing at the end? And will Old Man Genocide finally get off his ass and do something about all the invaders running around making fools out of his military?**


	17. Not A Chapter

**I'm working on it! I swear!**

**DarkArmor, if you utter so much as one syllable, I will hunt you down and gut you like a fish! (I'm kidding. Really, I am)**

**I have multiple things going on right that make it hard to find time to sit down and write (learning Japanese, prepping to take part in AmeriCorps, working at the library, etc.). I also want to make the fights suitably epic, which is taking more time than I expected. I promise that the wait will be worth it (we're talking about double my current longest chapter).**

**In apology, I offer two things. First, the answer to the most asked question I've been getting. Yes, Ichigo will get Segunda Etapa, and it will be based on the full Hollow form that kicked the tar out of Ulquiorra. How this is achieved, I'm still working out (I don't want it to be a rehash of the canon Bankai training or Ichigo getting his Hollow mask).**

**Second, a few scenes that I had planned, but that didn't make it into the story for one reason or another. Mostly because things really went off the rails. Enjoy.**

* * *

><p><strong>The following scenes ARE NOT part of this story's canon!<strong> **Read the above, folks. These are scenes that I planned on doing, but that DID NOT and WILL NOT happen because what I ended up writing makes them impossible!**

* * *

><p><span>Renji on His Way to Rescue Rukia <span>(would have taken place after Renji and Byakuya got beat, but didn't because Ichigo succeeded in getting Rukia from the Senzaikyu)

_I'm coming Rukia!_

Renji dashed toward Sokyoku Hill. If he hurried he could intercept her at the Senzaikyu. If not, and he had to face the Captains…well, that's what his training had been for.

Renji skidded to a stop. _This reiatsu_. He swallowed the lump in his thump. A cold drop of sweat ran down his face as he turned his gaze upwards.

High above him stood Byakuya Kuchiki.

"Where are you going, Renji?" the Captain asked, his voice cold as ice.

Renji steeled his nerves. "I'm going…to rescue Rukia."

"You cannot."

Renji growled. "Is there no way you will let me pass?"

Captain Kuchiki's expression didn't change. "I will not say it again." Then he vanished.

Faster than he had ever moved before, Renji spun, Zabimaru coming up to block the Senka he knew was coming.

"What are you doing?"

Renji blinked. His Zanpakuto had passed through empty air. He turned his head to look over his shoulder. Sure enough, there was Captain Kuchiki, his expression still unchanged.

"Um…weren't you going to hit me from behind with Senka?"

Renji couldn't fathom how Captain Kuchiki could convey the question "Are you some kind of moron?" with nothing but a miniscule raising of his left eyebrow (so slight that anyone who didn't spend a ridiculous amount of time around the man would never have noticed it).

"What purpose would that serve?"

"I thought you were just saying you wouldn't let me rescue Rukia?"

"I said nothing of the sort. I said you cannot rescue her. You lack the power to do so alone."

"Huh?"

Captain Kuchiki turned on his heel and began walking toward Sokyoku Hill. A dozen yards away, he turned back to Renji, who was still rooted to the spot in shock. "If you wish to assist me, I suggest you quit standing there like a buffoon."

Renji blinked. Then a grin spread across his face and ran to catch up with his Captain. "Yes, sir!"

-x-

The March on Sokyoku Hill (you may want to play the One Piece OST "Overtaken". You may know it by the fan nickname "Walk to Arlong Park")

Rukia looked at the assembled Captains. Only the Captains of the 4th, and 8th Divisions had shown up. Why? Where were the others?

"Rukia Kuchiki. Have you any last words?" Captain-General Yamamoto asked.

Rukia blinked back tears. _So I really am going to die?_ She took a deep breath. "Just one thing. Please allow the ryoka to leave unharmed."

Yamamoto stood there silently and Rukia began to worry. Then he broke the silence. "Very well. In accordan…" Rukia blinked when he broke off and turned to the forest of dead trees at the end of the Sokyoku Hill.

Rukia followed his gaze and gasped.

Striding out of the treeline was a figure dressed like a Shinigami. Except that his shihakusho was pure white. This time Rukia didn't try to fight the tears when she saw the orange hair and trademark scowl. _He came…_ And he wasn't the only one. Ishida, Chad, and Orihime emerged behind him.

Then the real surprises started. Rukia's eyes nearly popped out of her head when Byakuya left the forest, flanked by Renji. The pair fell into step beside the ryoka. The Captain and Vice-Captain of the 6th Division were followed by her own Captain and his Third Seats. Then came Captain Soifon (her Vice-Captain was absent), walking beside a dark skinned woman Rukia didn't recognize.

Ichigo stopped a few dozen yards from the execution platform. The various ryoka and Shinigami lined up on either side of him. Rukia barely breathed as he drew his Zanpakuto and leveled it at the Captain-General.

"Let her go."

* * *

><p><strong>Hope you enjoyed that. I really wish I had been able to work those scenes into the fic, but things kind of…snowballed from the moment Ichigo blasted the gate down. If you all are interested in seeing more of what might have been if things had gone as planned, let me know and I may put some as omakes at the end of chapters.<strong>

**Chapter 17 will be out by Wednesday at the latest. And if it's not, may I be struck by – lightning flashes and thunder rumbles – a flying ice cream truck…**


	18. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. You can tell because there was no invasion of the Seireitei by the Espada and an army of Hollows in canon.**

**Reviews:**

**#240 – kuroXIII**

**#250 – Tsuki Lunar**

**#260 – grimangel163**

**Special mention to T-Biggz, who put Hitsugaya's "the universe is always listening" line in his quote list. Thank you. :D**

**Sorry for the wait. I hope everyone enjoyed that little glimpse into what might have been. But now the real Chapter 17 is here! I decided to break it up, because I noticed I was making more mistakes the longer it got, and proofreading was getting to be a pain. But at more than 6,500 words this is still my longest chapter to date. Chapter 18 will be about the same length. Then we'll go back to my usual 2-3k.**

**So grab your popcorn, get your favorite soft drink (remember, kids, alcohol is bad for you), and pull up a comfy chair. Let's get ready to rumble!**

**But first, let's check in on our resident Magnificent Bastard…**

* * *

><p><em>Pain.<em>

Through the haze of pain and rapid blood loss, some part of Aizen's rational mind remained coherent enough to realize this was the first time in his life he had ever been so grievously injured.

His left arm was gone. He could see it lying on the ground next to him, in the middle of a rapidly expanding puddle of blood. His chest hurt as well. He looked down to see the deep slice, stretching from his shoulder almost to his heart. _So that's why it hurts to breath…_ His left lung had been cut in two.

Aizen turned his gaze to the girl. Somehow she had trampled over every tenet of spiritual combat. This human child, the weakest of the ryoka, had brought him lower than any other ever had. Struggling to remain conscious, he raised Kyoka Suigetsu. This girl had to be removed. She could not be allowed to exist. She…

She's diving out of the way?

Aizen turned his head. Ichigo Kurosaki had levered himself up and had a Cero charging in his blood-covered hand. _The color…_ Aizen's eyes widened at the vivid blue color the energy ball was turning._ Gran Rey Cero!_

In his weakened state, Aizen was unable to block or dodge the deadly blast. A wave of burning force slammed into him. Aizen was blown off his feet, through a wall, and out into open air. As he fell, the traitor noticed that the blast had taken a large chunk out of the side of Sokyoku Hill, and what was left could not support what was on top. Aizen crashed to the ground and could only watch as the end third of Sokyoku Hill gave way and sent hundreds of tons of rock plummeting toward his motionless form.

-x-

"Ow…" Ichigo shoved a pile of rocks out of the way. He blinked when he noticed he could see the sky. "Um…oops?" Taking hold of a boulder, Ichigo dragged himself to his feet…which immediately erupted in pins and needles, along with the entirety of both legs and his tail, causing Ichigo to fall on his ass. "Ow again…" Granted, any feeling in his lower body was good, considering he'd gotten his spine sliced in two a few minutes ago. His organs were starting to feel a bit better as well. _I think I'll just lie here for a bit and wait for everything to fix itself… Important note: injuries to the spine and internal organs take a while to heal. Take precautions to avoid that…_

A rumbling off to his left drew Ichigo's attention. Another pile of rock shuddered then collapsed when Inoue's Santen Kesshun lifted into the air. Without the rocks in the way, Ichigo could see a slightly dusty Rukia and Inoue, along with Chad and Ishida in the healing confines of Inoue's Soten Kisshun. He gulped when Rukia caught sight of him.

"Oh, Ichigo~. May I have a word with you?" Rukia was smiling sweetly. Despite knowing that she was still virtually powerless, and that she probably wouldn't be capable of seriously injuring him even if she were back at full strength, Ichigo broke out in a cold sweat as she strode over to the prone Arrancar. "Tell me, what made you think bringing Sokyoku Hill down on our heads was a good idea?"

"I wasn't trying to! My Cero did something weird when it mixed with my blood! It was a complete accident!" Of course, now that he knew that Cero + blood = Bigger Cero, he could do it on purpose. _Probably shouldn't tell her that…_

"Some accident," Ishida said, his arm and leg back where they were supposed to be. "I shudder to think what kind of devastation you could cause on purpose, Kurosaki."

Ichigo scowled at the Quincy. "Anybody else want to get on my case or can we get out of here?"

Chad looked over the edge at what used to be a significant portion of Sokyoku Hill. Somewhere under there was Aizen. "What about him?"

"He's missing an arm, got blasted through a wall by the strongest Cero I've ever fired, then had a mountain dropped on him," Ichigo listed. "Unless he's got some insane regenerative powers of his own, he's screwed."

-x-

Aizen lay in a pool of his blood, his body crushed, burned, and broken. His vision was growing dark. Blood bubbled from his mouth with every painful breath. Slowly, the pain began to fade away, replaced by blissful numbness. All he wanted was to close his eyes. Just close his eyes… and take a little rest…

…

…_**No!**_

Aizen snapped back to full awareness at Kyoka Suigetsu's declaration. He had come too far! Centuries of work! He was mere months away from finally realizing his goals! _I will not let everything I have accomplished be undone by a group of! Human! Children!_

Mustering the last of his rapidly fading strength, Aizen reached into his ragged shihakusho, withdrawing a glowing orb. Aizen stared into the depths of his Hogyoku. Even after all his work, thousands of souls sacrificed to the Hogyoku, it was still incomplete. He had planned to combine it with Urahara's before attempting what he was about to do. He had no idea if it would even work in its current state. But desperate times called for desperate measures. Gritting his teeth, Aizen pressed the Hogyoku against his heart.

-x-

Ichigo and company made a hasty exit from the Sokyoku Hill. Now that they were no longer focused on the nigh-unstoppable ex-Captain, the ryoka started to notice what had been happening during their encounter with Aizen. Battles between Shinigami, Arrancar, and pure Hollows were erupting all over the Seireitei. Not to mention there were Hollows everywhere.

"This is nuts!" Ichigo yelled, dashing through the woods that surrounded the execution hill, Rukia hanging on to his back. "How the hell are all these Hollows getting in? I thought that damn barrier around Seireitei blocked Garganta!" Ichigo's cleaver flashed, killing a pair of Hollows in a single stroke.

"If a Senkaimon can get through, then in theory it would be possible to modify a Garganta to do the same!" Ishida answered. The Quincy fired, killing a Hollow that had dropped out of the branches above them. Riding behind him on the Hirenkyaku, Inoue launched Tsubaki into another Hollow. Chad brought up the rear, smashing any Hollows that tried to sneak up behind them.

"Damn it!" Ichigo decapitated a bear-like Hollow, only for it to be replaced by nearly two-dozen more coming out of the woodwork. "This is like your stupid challenge all over again, Ishida!" Ichigo skidded to a halt. "Get the hell out of my way!" Ichigo stomped and blades erupted from beneath every Hollow he could see. "Rukia, which way is the estate?"

"That way!" Rukia pointed to the north.

"Alright! Stick close, guys!" Ichigo charged in the indicated direction, summoned swords shredding every Hollow foolish enough to try and impede him.

-Hitsugaya vs. Nnoitora-

_I knew it. The universe was listening…_

Hitsugaya ducked the lanky Arrancar's weird looking Zanpakuto – _Seriously, what the hell is that thing? _– then darted in and stabbed him in the chest. Like every other time, the blade failed to penetrate the Arrancar's insanely durable skin. Toshiro was forced to jump back to dodge the reversed slash. Scowling, he raised Hyorinmaru again.

"You're pissing me off, you know?" The Arrancar shouldered the monstrous blade-on-a-stick. "You've been hitting me for the past five minutes. You haven't caused any damage at all. But your damn expression hasn't changed a bit."

"And you have yet to cause me any damage as well. I hardly think I'm losing," Hitsugaya shot back.

"_Will you stop testing him? Freeze him solid and be done with it. We have no time to lose," _Hyorinmaru growled.

"Couldn't agree more…" Toshiro muttered, feeling the reiatsu being released by multiple battles. After a quick check to make sure Momo had led her opponent far enough away, the Captain of the 10th Division flared his reiatsu and black clouds started to gather overhead.

"What the hell?" Toshiro nearly laughed out loud at the look on his opponent's face, but he managed to keep his expression neutral.

"This is Hyorinmaru's power. All the water under the heavens is mine to command." Ice and water gathered around Hitsugaya's sword, taking the form of a massive, serpentine dragon. "There may be some momentary discomfort." Hitsugaya swung his blade and the dragon launched itself at the Arrancar.

The Arrancar tried to dodge, but avoiding Hyorinmaru is like trying to walk through a thunderstorm without getting wet. Ice coated the left side of his body. And Hitsugaya had not been idle while his dragon attacked. The half-frozen Arrancar suddenly found himself bound in the chain that extended from Hyorinmaru's hilt. An instant later, the Arrancar was completely entombed in ice.

Hitsugaya turned away from the frozen Arrancar. "If you're lucky, you'll die in there. If you're not, you get to enjoy Soifon's hospitality." The Captain turned toward Hinamori's battle. "Finish up quick, Momo. We need to move before this gets worse."

Then Sokyoku Hill exploded.

Toshiro stared in shock as a third of the Sokyoku Hill – execution scaffold included – tumbled hundreds of feet to the ground and was reduced to a pile of shattered stone. He turned his eyes skyward. "You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?" The sound of ice cracking behind him answered his question.

The ice shattered completely and the freed Arrancar glared at Hitsugaya. "You think that can stop me? My Hierro is the strongest of any Arrancar! A little cold won't do me in!"

"I'll just have to make it colder then, won't I?"

"Damn Shinigami! I'm Nnoitora Gilga, the Quinto Espada! Don't think you can just brush me aside!"

"I'll remember that name. I'll make sure to carve it on your headstone."

"You're the one who will need a grave-marker. **Pray! Santa Teresa!**"

Toshiro's eyes widened at the sudden surge in Nnoitora's reiatsu. It was higher than what he felt from Ichigo Kurosaki's battle with Kurotsuchi! _ Oh boy. Here we go, Hyorinmaru._ **"Bankai!**"

_Hopefully Momo's having a better time than us._

-Hinamori vs. Tesla-

_I hope Shiro's having an easier time than me…_

Hinamori deflected her opponent's oddly shaped Zanpakuto and immediately fired another fireball from Tobiume. Once again, the Arrancar activated the ring in his sword, creating a solid barrier to block her attack.

"That's getting very annoying," Momo muttered to herself. So far Tesla Lindocruz (as he had introduced himself) had only a few minor burns from her attacks. "We need to get around that shield…"

"_You can do it, Momo! We just need to think outside the box a little!"_

Hinamori nodded. "Maybe that combination we've been working on…"

"_Just don't blow us up again like you did during practice…"_

"That only happened twice…" Hinamori pouted. "We'll have to do some set-up first…"

"_It'll be easiest if he stands still for a bit."_

"I would suggest keeping your mind on the battle, instead of talking to yourself." Tesla appeared behind her in a crackle of static. Too bad Hinamori was ready for him.

"Bakudo #4. Hainawa."

"What?" Tesla struggled against the glowing yellow rope that entangled his arms.

"Carriage of Thunder. Bridge of a spinning wheel. With light, divide this into six! Bakudo #61! Rikujokoro!"

Tesla grunted as the six shards of light slammed into his midsection.

Momo began to move, flickering from one place to another, raining fireballs on the immobile Arrancar every time she reappeared.

"Arrg!" Tesla screamed as his body was peppered with blast after blast. "I will not shame Lord Nnoitora by losing here! **Crush! Verruga!**" The explosion of reiatsu destroyed the Rikujokoro. Tesla emerged, now in the form of a massive, bipedal warthog.

Then he immediately froze again, this time trapped like a fly in an orange Kido web. "What is this?"

"A Kido net. I cast it while you were trapped in my Rikujokoro, and hid it from your sight with Bakudo #26 Kyokko."

Tesla could only stare in disbelief. "You cast this while you were attacking me?"

"Unfortunately for you, Kido happens to be my specialty. Being able to multi-task is essential for a Kido master." Hinamori held Tobiume against one of the strands of the web. "By the way, there were a few more Kido involved in crafting this. I also used Hado #12 Fushibi and #31 Shakkaho. Would you like to find out what they do?"

Tesla began to struggle against the net with all his might, correctly assuming that whatever those spells did, it would not be good for him.

Fire ran down Tobiume's blade. "Farewell, Tesla Lindocruz." The flames reached the net and the whole thing went up in a massive explosion.

A soot blackened Hinamori coughed as the smoke cleared.

_"I told you not to blow us up too!"_

-The Ryoka-

Ichigo and company appeared in front of the entrance to the Kuchiki estate.

"Huh. Nice place," Ichigo remarked. "Looks more like the kind of place a noble would live than that nut, Kukaku's house." It was also far enough removed from most of the Seireitei that very few Hollows had found their way there. They were focusing on places where Shinigami were packed in like sardines. He turned when a trio of figures in dressed in red uniforms with an odd looking triangular mask appeared.

"Ichigo Kurosaki?"

"You know any other Arrancar in Seireitei?" A massive explosion sounded in the distance. "Right, stupid question. Forget I asked. Yeah, I'm Ichigo."

"Captain Soifon gave us orders to open the Senkaimon so that your group may leave Soul Society."

"Great. Let's get out of here."

Rukia led the way through the Kuchiki grounds to the Senkaimon. The members of the 2nd Division walked to the Senkaimon and began their work. Within moments, the gate was open.

"You do not have Jigokucho, so we will have to stabilize the Koryu. Please be patient," one of them said.

"Wait, when you say 'Koryu', you're talking about the walls in the Dangai, right?" Ichigo asked.

"Yes."

Ishida asked the next question. "You mean it is possible to render the walls harmless?"

"Yes."

"God damn it, Hat-and-Clogs!"

"Wait, you guys passed through the Dangai without freezing the Koryu?" Rukia asked. The four ryoka nodded. "You all are insane…"

"Take it up with Urahara. His instructions for passing through can be summed up as 'Run like hell and don't touch the walls'."

"I would have been caught were it not for Chad's assistance."

The three members of the 2nd Division mentally face-palmed (after all doing so physically would ruin their ninja mystique). How could Kisuke Urahara, a former officer of their division, be so unprofessional?

The Senkaimon flashed. "It's ready."

"Shall we?" Ishida asked, making an 'after you' gesture. The ryoka walked toward the gate. Inoue had passed through before Ichigo noticed Rukia wasn't next to them. He turned back to see Rukia staring at the clouds of smoke rising from the Seireitei.

"What are you waiting for, midget?"

"I can't leave."

"What?"

"This is because of me. Because of what's inside me." She gestured at the growing destruction.

"Bullshit, Rukia, and you know it!"

"This is my responsibility!"

"The hell it is!" Ichigo stomped over to the pint-sized Shinigami. "What the hell do think you're going to do about this anyway? Huh? Right now my old man has more power than you."

"I don't know, but I have to do something."

Inoue poked her head back out of the Senkaimon. "Um… Are we going?"

Ichigo's eyes narrowed at the tiny Shinigami. "We didn't go through hell so you could walk right back into the arms of the people who want to kill you, Rukia." He grabbed Rukia by her obi and lifted her off the ground.

"Hey! Ichigo, put me down! I said – aahh!" Rukia screamed as Ichigo tossed her to Chad, who caught and put her over his shoulder. "Chad, let me go!"

"What are you going to do, Ichigo?" Chad asked.

"Something stupid probably." Ichigo pointed at the Senkaimon. "Get her out of here. Make sure you all get back to Karakura. Get to Hat-and-Clogs' place or the Vizard and wait for me there."

"Wait, what do you think you're doing, Ichigo?" Rukia yelled.

"Unlike you, I can actually do something about this situation." He nodded to Chad. "See you back in town."

Chad nodded. "See you there." Then he walked into the Senkaimon, Rukia struggling and hurling obscenities the whole way.

"Um…Ichigo?" Inoue asked.

"I'll be fine, Inoue. You go on back."

Inoue still looked unsure but she nodded. "Please be careful." Then she followed Chad and Rukia.

Ichigo looked at Ishida. "Well? What are you still doing here?"

"Obviously, I'm staying to assist you, Kurosaki. I assume your plan is to close up the Garganta the Hollows are passing through, using the last one to escape and closing it behind you?" Ichigo nodded. "Common sense says that your chances of success are better if I'm here to watch your back."

Ichigo shrugged. "Can't argue with that, I guess."

A few minutes later, the Shinigami confirmed that the travelers had passed through the Senkaimon on the other side. They stopped feeding reiatsu into the gate and the Senkaimon closed.

"Well, see you guys later." Ichigo gave them a casual two-fingered salute. "If you've got a way to pass the word to everyone else, try to convince them to not try and kill us on sight." A crackle of static and Ichigo and Ishida vanished.

As the pair traveled, an idea hit Ichigo. "Hey, Ishida, we never did tally up who won your little challenge back in Karakura, did we?"

"No, we did not. We were rather preoccupied."

"Well, we've got an ungodly amount of Hollows pouring out of those Garganta, and they're probably not going to be too happy about me closing them. We might as well have some fun with it, right?"

Ishida smirked and pushed his glasses up, then summoned his bow. "I accept. Try not to lose too badly, Kurosaki."

"Please. I'll be so far ahead it'll make your head spin."

Hollows all over Seireitei felt a chill run down their spines.

-Szayel vs. RDI-

"Ah…Beakers, test tubes, various wondrous and hazardous chemicals…It's almost like home…A bit too noisy though."

Szayel strode through the halls of the Shinigami Research and Development Institute. His Fraccion, Lumina and Verona, bounced eagerly behind him. From the moment the three Arrancar had set foot in the Institute, alarms began to blare. Apparently the Shinigami had some sort of contingency for a Hollow/Arrancar invasion, because Szayel had found only empty laboratories.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are…I merely wish to have an intelligent conversation, from one scientist to another. I would love to compare notes," the pink-haired Arrancar called.

"_Krrzzt…Welcome, Arrancar, to the Shinigami Research and Development Institute._" Szayel glanced around and spotted a speaker set into the wall.

"Ah, finally. My name is Szayel Aporro Granz, Octava Espada. Who do I have the pleasure of speaking to?"

"_Akon, Primary in the Development Department._"

"Delighted to make your acquaintance. I don't suppose you would like to come out and speak to me face to face?"

"_As interesting as such a conversation would be, I am afraid I will have to decline. However, we will have plenty of time to chat while you and your companions are being dissected._"

Szayel smirked and pushed his glasses up his nose. "Dissect me? It is you who will become my specimen. You and anyone else I find. Look forward to it." Szayel reached into his pocket and pulled out a jar. "Lets find out where you are hiding, shall we?" Szayel popped the lid off the jar and a swarm of tiny insects took to the air. "Search them out, my Rokureichu." The swarm dispersed, flying in all directions, down hallways and into vents.

"Let the game begin," Szayel said, smiling sadistically.

-x-

"What are those?"

Hiyosu leaned closer to the screen. "Bugs, I believe."

Akon scratched his chin. "Certainly an interesting approach to surveillance, I suppose. Speaking of which, did we ever get around to installing the bug zappers in every doorway?"

"It's scheduled for next Tuesday," Rin Tsubokura said.

"Ah. Make a note to move that up, will you?"

"I think we can make some time on Thursday, between the Gigai experiments and Thursday Night Bingo?"

"Sounds good. In the meantime, I believe Etamo has been working on some heavy-duty bug spray?"

"Yes."

"Excellent. Let's show this Arrancar why it's a bad idea to mess with the Shinigami Research and Development Institute."

The smiles spreading across the lips of every Shinigami in the room would have made Kenpachi Zaraki think twice.

-x-

Szayel stared at the device in his hand. The screen showed the position of each and every bug he had released. When they found something, they would release minute pulses of reiatsu. So far they had found nothing.

Then a large group disappeared. Szayel frowned. _A glitch?_ He shook his head. His design was perfect. Which meant the bugs had been destroyed. The Arrancar smirked. _You give yourself away, Shinigami._ Szayel moved toward the place the signal had vanished.

A whiff of the air told him all he needed to know. He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Pesticide. How could I have overlooked so simple a weakness?" He sighed. "Lumina, take a sample for study back in Los Noches." He glanced up at the sound of marching feet.

Stomping down the hall came a small army of humanoids. All of them were pale and naked. They raised their arms toward the three Arrancar and surged forward.

"Oh? And what might these be?" Szayel drew his Zanpakuto and sliced the nearest one in two. The body spasmed a bit then coughed out a green pill. Szayel picked it up, casually dismembering any of the horde that got too close. "Oh! Is this a Gikon? Then these must be Gigai! Wonderful! I've been having some difficulties creating Gigai of my own. It will be much easier with a base to study and improve on. Verona, make sure to bring one of these along!"

-x-

"Well, I'm glad he's enjoying himself…" Akon groused.

"My Gigai!" Hiyosu wailed. "Who knows what depraved things that madman will do to them!"

"Calm down, Hiyosu. He won't be getting anything. Rin, you got everything set up?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Alright." Akon flicked the cover off a switch on his control board. "Hiyosu? Would you like to do the honors?"

"I spent months making all those Gigai and you plan to undo all that work in the space of a few minutes…" Hiyosu smiled. "Of course I want to be the one to throw the switch."

-x-

Szayel looked at the pile of body parts and loose Gikon. "That was rather underwhelming. I expected better from Soul Society's supposed greatest minds." He blinked when the body parts started to glow. "Oh that's just not fair…"

-x-

The screen went white and dust fell from the ceiling as the explosion shook the institute.

"Nothing like a blowing something up to make you feel all warm inside," Akon commented. His coworkers nodded in agreement.

"Think there's anything left?"

"Hope so. I do still want to study him."

"Well the picture's clearing up, so we're about to find out."

-x-

Szayel groaned in pain. His body was covered in blood and burns. The Gigai had exploded almost right in his face. He struggled to stand. _Need to find…Lumina and Verona…_

A cracking noise beneath his hand drew his attention. There lay his glasses – the remains of his Hollow mask – broken on the ground. "No…" Frantically he tried to put them back together, even though he knew it was hopeless. Images of Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck's transformation all those years ago filled his mind and he screamed in fear when he felt the change begin.

-x-

The members of the RDI crowded around the screen, their eyes wide.

"Did you know that happens when an Arrancar's mask is broken?" Rin asked.

Everyone else shook their heads.

…

"Dibs on being first to examine him!"

"Di – Damn it!"

-Ikkaku/Yumichika vs. Gantenbainne-

"Rock Paper Scissors!"

"Again!"

"Rock Paper Scissors!"

"Again!"

"Rock Paper Scissors!"

Gantenbainne had no clue how it was possible for anyone to play "Rock Paper Scissors" one-thousand, four-hundred and seventy-three times without once having a winner, but the two nutjobs in front of him seemed to defy all attempts at logic.

-13th Division vs. Kaien Shiba-

"Vice-Captain…Why?"

Kaien Shiba laughed at the pain and confusion in the man's voice. He remembered giving him some one on one Zanjutsu pointers years ago. "Why? Why not?" Kaien swung his Zanpakuto and finished the 8th seated officer off. He looked around. The ground was littered with members of the 13th Division, some dead, some dying, and some, who had been a bit quicker on the uptake, were merely wounded. None had been able to hold him off for more than a few seconds.

Movement to his right caught his eye. Kaien smirked. Kiyone, her right arm all but useless, was on her feet, Zanpakuto clenched in her left hand.

"And what are you going to do with that, Kiyone?" he mocked. "You want to be the one to kill your Vice-Captain the second time?"

"Shut up! You're not Vice-Captain Kaien! Kaien would never do such a thing!" Tears streaming down her face, Kiyone screamed in rage and anguish as she charged her old superior. Kaien stood still for a moment then he disappeared and reappeared behind her. Kiyone cried out when slashes appeared on her arm and legs and she collapsed in a heap.

"Nice try, Kiyone." Kaien put his blade against the prone woman's throat. "You might have actually hit me…if I'd been asleep." He raised the blade to deliver a beheading blow.

"Kaien!"

Kaien's head snapped to the left. Then it snapped back to the right when Sentaro's fist plowed into his cheek. "Ugh!"

His Zanpakuto broken by Kaien's earlier attack, Sentaro laid into the former Vice-Captain with one haymaker after another. However, Kaien quickly tired of being used as Sentaro's punching bag. A quick flick of the wrist and Sentaro collapsed, the hamstrings in both legs cut.

Kaien wiped his bleeding mouth. "Not bad, Sentaro. You've been working out. I think – whoops!" Kaien jumped back to avoid the punch Sentaro had aimed at his crotch. "Close, but no cigar, Sentaro." Kaien drew back his Zanpakuto. "So long."

Kaien swung, his Zanpakuto arcing toward Sentaro's neck.

Sentaro closed his eyes and waited for the end, tears in his eyes.

Kaien's eyes widened when, instead of piercing soft flesh, his blade was stopped cold by a red and white arm.

"Hey there, Headband. Mind if I cut in?"

Kaien looked up into a face that looked very similar to his own.

-Ichigo vs. Kaien Shiba-

Ichigo swept the Zanpakuto aside then delivered a vicious roundhouse kick to his black-haired doppleganger's midsection. He grinned at the satisfying "Oof!" the look-alike made as the air rushed from his lungs. His grin widened at the "Ugh!" that came from the man's impact with a wall some fifteen meters away.

"Kurosaki?"

Ichigo turned to Sentaro, who was staring at him in disbelief. "In the flesh. We were passing by and felt a bunch of reiatsu signatures disappear, but no Hollows. Thought we'd check it out."

"We?"

"Yeah. Me and – hey! Ishida! Time out, damn it! No fair!"

"If you wanted a time out, you should have called it earlier, Kurosaki," Ishida called from his sniping position atop a wall. "By the way, I'm on twenty-six now." He loosed one last arrow before dissipating his bow. "Twenty-seven."

"Cheater," growled Ichigo, who was now down by eight. His tail lashed out, wrapping around the Zanpakuto striking toward the back of his head. "S'cuse me, trying to have a conversation here." Jerking his tail, he sent his doppleganger sailing through the air again. There was a very satisfying thud when he came back to earth.

"Hey, Headband, who the heck is this guy? And why is he trying to kill you all? And why does he look so much like me?"

"He says he's Kaien Shiba, our old Vice-Captain. But that's impossible. Kaien died nearly two decades ago. We all saw his body. I don't know why he's trying to kill us, and he won't give a reason. As for the last one…I don't have a clue. Though since Kaien was older than you, technically you look like him."

"Oh!" The lightbulb went on as Ichigo made the connection. "So that's what Ukitake was yelling about when he was trying to kill me! Been wondering about that."

Kaien got to his feet with a groan. "Who the hell are you? I don't recall ever seeing you around Los Noches."

Ichigo blinked. "Los Noches? Never heard of it. I'm Ichigo Kurosaki, resident Arrancar of Karakura Town."

"What are you talking about? Lord Aizen never assigned anyone to stay in the Jureichi."

"'Lord' Aizen?" Ichigo hefted his cleaver. "So you're one of that guy's followers?" He smirked. "Better find a new leader. Your old one's toast."

"What!"

Ichigo pointed to the now much smaller Sokyoku Hill. "He's under there someplace."

"You lie!"

"Maybe." Ichigo blurred and reappeared behind Kaien. "You can find out for sure when you get to hell."

Kaien barely managed to block Ichigo's swing. His Zanpakuto cracked under the force. The two stood deadlocked for a moment before jumping back.

"You…for daring to slander Lord Aizen…I'll kill you." Kaien grabbed the glove he wore on his left hand and yanked it off.

Ichigo stared at the brown…tentacle…thing. "Okay…ew?"

"You're right that Kaien Shiba died. But his body had been possessed by a Hollow, and when his body decomposed, it reformed in Hueco Mundo, where I came across and ate it! That's my power. Unlike other Hollows, who simply gain the reiatsu of those they eat, I get their abilities as well!" Kaien smirked. "And to date, I've eaten 33,650 Hollows. Can you even comprehend the amount of power I possess?"

Ichigo scratched his chin. "Hey, Ishida!"

"You called a time out, Kurosaki. Killing him will not get you 33,650 points."

"Jerk."

"Pay attention to me!" Kaien yelled. "**Devour! Glotoneria!**"

Ichigo stared up at the mass of mouths and tentacles, with Kaien Shiba's torso sitting on top like a weird pimple. "I see some major flaws with this form. How the hell can you fight like that?" A tentacle smashed him into a wall. "Ow. Never mind."

"Don't make light of me, boy. I'm Aaroniero Arruruerie, the Noveno Espada! A kid like you doesn't have a chance against my Resureccion!"

"Yeah, I'm never going to be able to pronounce that…I'm just gonna call you 'Triple A', okay?"

"You little punk! I'm going to enjoy this!" Triple A laughed. "So many choices. Which power should I use to kill you? Acid? Poison? Maybe fire? Or maybe I should just eat you?"

Ichigo cracked his neck. "While you figure that out, I'm going to make my move if that's okay with you." Without waiting for a response, Ichigo raised his cleaver then brought it down with all the finality of a guillotine. "Getsuga Tensho!"

Triple A screamed as the moon-fang sundered his body. His massive form had been cut diagonally in two! With just one attack! "You! You've killed me! How? How could I lose to a nobody like you?" Then he smiled. "That's what you expected me to say, right? Too bad." Tentacles from both halves reached out, wrapped around Triple A's pieces and started pulling. Triple A laughed as he quite literally pulled himself together. The slice from Ichigo Getsuga Tensho healed up without a scar. "Sorry, but you fail. Out of all the Hollows I've eaten, 2,926 had high-speed regeneration! Cutting me to bits won't do you any good! Ahahahahah – !"

Mid-laugh, Ichigo blurred behind Triple A and lopped his head off. "Grow that back." As it fell, Kaien Shiba's head transformed into a glass container with two Hollow faces in it. The faces screamed as the container hit the ground and shattered. Ichigo dropped off the rapidly disintegrating blob of mouths and tentacles and crushed the still screaming heads under his boots, just to be sure.

"Well, that was interesting." Ichigo frowned. "In hindsight, I probably should have asked about that 'Noveno Espada' thing. It sounded important…"

"Nothing we can do about it now, Kurosaki," Ishida said.

"Yeah." Ichigo turned to Sentaro. "Hey, Headband, you gonna be okay?" In answer, the still bleeding 3rd Seat fell unconscious. "Right…" Ichigo looked at all the fallen Shinigami. "You any good at stitching wounds, Ishida?"

"I have had some practice, yes. I would suggest you get bandages on as many as possible so they don't bleed out before I can get to them."

"Got it. Hey, anyone who feels up to running to the 4th Division – that's your medics, right? – raise your hand!"

-Sokyoku Hill-

Rock shifted and was shoved out of the way. A dusty head of silver hair emerged from the rubble. Blue eyes blinked in the moonlight. "Hey, we're through." Gin pulled himself out of the hole he had made then moved out of the way for Dordonii and Cirucci.

"Madre de Dio! What the heck happened?"

"I thought we were dead…"

Gin looked around. Whatever had happened, it had been violent. His eyes widened when he caught a whiff of a familiar reiatsu. "Dordonni. Cirucci." He moved over to another pile of rocks and started digging. The two Arrancar quickly joined in. In a few minutes, they had unearthed the body.

"Lord Aizen!" Cirucci and Dordonni gasped at the sorry state of their master. Cirucci placed her ear against his chest. "I can't hear anything…"

Gin stared in shock. _He's dead? He's really dead?_ He didn't know how to feel. He had wanted Aizen dead more than anything, but he had wanted to be the one to deliver the final blow.

"What do we do?" The two Arrancar turned to Gin for instructions. He closed his eyes and tried to think. Should he turn himself in? Take the Arrancar and retreat back to Los Noches? He had never really thought of what would happen after he killed Aizen.

Their attention on each other, neither the Arrancar nor the ex-Captain noticed Aizen's eyes slowly open, revealing one brown eye with white sclera and a gray eye with a purple sclera.

* * *

><p><strong>Behold my Zanpakuto's special ability, "Evil Cliffhanger"! The only way to counter it is with a massive amount of reviews!<strong>

**How were the battles? I put a lot of effort and research into writing my fight scenes. I'd really like to know what you all think of them. **

**Szayel vs. the RDI was the biggest pain. I went through four different versions of that fight. In one, the battle ended the second Szayel stepped through the front door, dropping him down a trapdoor into a Sekkiseki box with no air holes, but I thought that was too anticlimactic. In the end I just said, "Screw it" and went with Karmic Justice.**

**Also, thinking about what the RDI's version of Bingo might entail scares the crap out me…**

**So, next chapter we check back with Hitsugaya and Nnoitora, see what Grimmjow an co. have been up to, and finally find out what the heck Yamamoto's been doing. Look forward to it.**

**By the way, I'm looking for a beta. Any volunteers?**


	19. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: Let's see…Ichigo's an Arrancar, Orihime is as useful as a girl with a reality-warping-game-breaker-power should be, and Aizen got a mountain dropped on his head. Did any of that happen in canon? No? Well it should have. *disappointed face***

**Behold, my loyal minions… er… um… readers, I meant readers! I, the mighty Cerokun, have returned from the pits of the hell known to many as "writer's block"! **

**Now, I've been staring at this chapter for the past month and a half that it's been saved on my computer and I really can't figure out what I want to happen next. Rather than make you all wait longer and continue to not get anything done, I decided to go ahead and post. My hope is that by posting what I do have and getting some feedback, my muse will get off her ass and get back to work.**

**Have no fear of this being abandoned (some of you were thinking it, I know you were!). The plot bunnies for NQaP are as rampant as ever, and continue to multiply. You think things are crazy now? Just wait until _NQaP Season II: Still Not Going as Planned_ comes out. All those filler arcs and movies? Oh, I am going to have **_**fun**_**. **_**Mwahahahaha – *gasp-choke-drink water-take deep breath* - hahahaha!**_

**Thank you one and all for the wonderful reviews. I get this big stupid grin on my face when I read them. **

**Review Milestones:**

**#270 – talesfanjmf**

**#280 – TWILLINATOR**

**#290 – vampire13princess**

**#300 – talesfanjmf **

**#310 – ATPT557**

**#320 – Sage of Wind Dragons**

**#330 – EVA-Saiyajin**

**#340 – Loatroll**

**In other news, NQaP has cleared 100,000 hits! *fireworks explode***

**Quick recap since it's been about three months since I updated. Ichigo and company survived their encounter with Aizen, resulting in Aizen buried under a large portion of Sokyoku Hill. With help from the 2****nd**** Division, Rukia was taken back to Karakura by Chad and Orihime. Ichigo and Ishida stayed behind in Seireitei, planning to close the numerous Gargantas that have been opened. Battles between Shinigami, Arrancar, and Hollows are erupting all over Seireitei. Meanwhile, Gin, Dordonii, and Cirucci managed to dig themselves out of from under Sokyoku Hill. They found Aizen's mangled body. Obviously, none of them watch a lot of movies or TV, because they turned their backs on Aizen's "corpse" while trying to figure out what to do. Anyone who's ever seen a horror movie knows why that's a bad idea and can probably guess what happened next…**

**Well, now that that's out of the way, let's get back to the action shall we?**

* * *

><p>Gin's danger sense went off half a second before Cirucci screamed. He spun just in time to catch the female Arrancar's terrified expression before the hand on the back of her head squeezed and crushed her skull like a rotten apple. As her body fell, it began to dissolve, spirit particles rising into the air then being absorbed into the chest of her killer. Gin's eyes snapped all the way open when he saw the man standing in her place.<p>

"Lord…Aizen?"

"Dordonii, move!"

Gin's warning came too late. Faster than Dordonii could register the yell, Aizen's hand carved out the Arrancar's throat and he joined Cirucci in oblivion.

The stump of Aizen's left arm twitched. A second later, bone erupted from the wound then wrapped itself in muscle, tendons, and skin. Aizen flexed the fingers of his new arm. Apparently determining that it was working properly, Aizen turned his mismatched eyes to his old Vice-Captain.

"I apologize, Gin. But I'm afraid that the Hogyoku is still not satisfied."

_Oh shit._ Gin didn't bother wondering what the hell was going on. Instead he mentally ran through his options. There was no chance of him getting his hands on Kyoka Suigetsu before Aizen could cast an illusion. Retreating would be the best choice, but he was certain Aizen could catch up with little difficulty. Kido would be no help either; he was good, but compared to Aizen he was a rank amateur. Briefly, he lamented that Shinso wasn't a wide-area, mass-destruction type Zanpakuto like Ryuujin Jakka or Hyourinmaru that could just flood the battlefield with flame or ice to get around Aizen's illusions. Unfortunately, his partner was a precision tool – He immediately reassured his irate Zanpakuto that he wouldn't have it any other way – and thus not very good for hitting an enemy he couldn't pinpoint.

Then he had no more time to think. Aizen accelerated toward him, Kyoka Suigetsu striking at Gin's neck. Or so it looked. Gin ducked, feeling the reiatsu of the real Kyoka Suigetsu pass over his head from behind. Wordlessly, he released his Zanpakuto, stabbing backwards under his sleeve. Aizen avoided the surprise thrust, and Gin flash-stepped to get some distance. Gin frowned as Aizen lunged for him again.

_He ain't fighting like himself. Normally he'd wait for me to make a move then counter it. Somethin's up. He's acting kinda…desperate._ Gin parried a one-two strike from Kyoka Suigetsu.

"_He mentioned the Hogyoku. He was grievously injured when you uncovered him. Could he have implanted it to save his life?"_

_Could be. It would explain what happened to Dordonii and Cirucci._ Gin's eyes widened as the revelation dawned._ The Hogyoku still ain't complete. It still needs a lot more powerful souls or merging with Urahara's to become so._ Gin's smirk returned to his face._ And Aizen definitely fits the description of 'powerful soul'. He's probably got to offer others to it or the Hogyoku'll go for him!_

"_So if we can stay alive long enough…"_

_The marble will solve our problem for us. In theory._ It would certainly be a fitting punishment for what Aizen had done to Rangiku all those years ago. Of course, there was no guarantee they were right. And even if they were, there was no way to no how long it might take.

In the end, Gin didn't get to find out. Gin was so focused on staying out of Aizen's reach, he didn't notice the pebble sized piece of rubble until he stepped on it. The pebble rolled and Gin had to spare a split second to regain his footing.

In a battle between Captains, a split second is all it takes.

Kyoka Suigetsu pierced Gin's heart. He stared down at the length of steel protruding from his chest.

"I am sorry, Gin." Gin looked up into Aizen's mismatched eyes. "You were everything I could have asked for in a subordinate. I want you to know that I don't take any pleasure in this."

Gin felt his body begin to break down. He could feel the pull now, the Hogyoku in Aizen's chest tugging on him, drawing him into its depths. _This is my end? Everything I've done? All for nothing?_

Rangiku's face flashed through his mind, her eyes vacant in the wake of what Aizen had done to her.

Gin grit his teeth.

_The __**hell**__ it is!_

Gin's fading hand shot out and wrapped around Kyoka Suigetsu. Aizen's eyes widened as Shinso took aim at his own heart at point blank range. Gin grinned at Aizen's look of shock.

_This is for you, Ran._

He summoned the last of his strength and opened his mouth to release his ultimate weapon.

"**Banka-**"

Everything went black.

-x-

Matsumoto froze as a chill went down her spine.

_Gin?_

"Vice-Captain Matsumoto! Look out!"

"Huh? Yikes!" Matsumoto narrowly dodged the snapping jaws of a Hollow. A swing of Haineko split its mask and the screaming monster fell dead. "Thanks!" she yelled at the 5th Division's Seventh seat. The man nodded in response then screamed as another Hollow chomped down on his arm.

"No! **Growl! Haineko**!"

The Hollow recoiled as millions of tiny ash blades dug into its eyes. Rangiku grabbed the Seventh seat under the arm and dragged him away from the failing beast. "Die." The Hollow's head exploded as ash tore out in all directions.

"We're in trouble, ma'am."

"I noticed." A Garganta had been opened just outside and Hollows were pouring into the 5th Division in droves. Many of the unseated Shinigami had been killed and eaten in the initial surprise attack. The Third and Fifth seated officers had fallen under sheer weight of numbers not long after. The various other officers had managed to organize the remaining forces and were mounting counterattacks throughout the Division. However, numbers continued to take their toll.

"I don't suppose you know how to close a Garganta?"

"I'm afraid not, ma'am." The Seventh seat winced as he looked at his mangled sword arm.

"Didn't think so. Had to ask." Matsumoto whipped Haineko's ash into a cyclone, tearing through the horde. "We'll have to seal it off somehow until 12th Division can figure out a way to close it."

"Vice-Captain Hinamori could do that."

"True." Hinamori's Kido skills were the best among the Vice-Captains. She would definitely be capable of casting a Bakudo capable of stonewalling an army of Hollows. Of course, that would require her to be here to place the Bakudo. Really, everything seemed to be going wrong lately. It was as if some higher force was conspiring against them. Rangiku shook her head. There was no time for such ridiculous musings.

"Let's get to the Garganta first. Then we can come up with a plan."

"Roger."

-x-

Edrad smirked. It seemed like someone stronger than the grunts he had been killing was heading his way. "Hopefully they'll put up a decent fight before they die."

-x-

A mere glance and a minute flaring of his reiatsu crushed the Hollow foolish enough to try and attack him. A casual swipe of his hand blasted a particularly large Hollow off one of his unseated subordinates. A stamp of his staff on the ground caused several Hollows to be engulfed in flames.

Captain-General Yamamoto was not a happy Shinigami. His irritation had been slowly building over the last few days. Not only had a group of human infants – barely half a century between the four of them! – invaded the Seireitei, they had spent the past three days making a mockery of the Gotei 13. Two Captains killed, three injured, and a massive number of casualties among the lower ranks. It was very likely that if anything else happened, Yamamoto would have taken matters into his own hands.

Then the Hollows appeared.

One Arrancar had been galling enough, but in the end it was a fairly minor issue and he had been content to let the other Captains deal with it. This seemingly endless horde was a much larger problem. For a brief moment, Yamamoto had moved to draw Ryuujin Jakka, planning to do just what its release command suggested.

After that brief impulse, Yamamoto took his hand from Ryuujin Jakka's hilt. While releasing his Shikai would certainly allow him to purge the Seireitei of the Hollows that threatened it, it would also purge the Seireitei of the Shinigami that resided there. Sometimes having the most powerful fire-type Zanpakuto in existence was very inconvenient.

So here he was – the oldest and most powerful Shinigami to ever live – slowly working his way outward from the 1st Division headquarters, killing every Hollow he came across with his bare hands, sealed sword, and murderous glares.

He took some satisfaction and amusement from that last one. There was something very therapeutic about watching a Hollow four times his size be obliterated by a simple look.

Yamamoto would see every Hollow in Seireitei destroyed. Even if he had to hunt them down himself, one by one.

-x-

The Hollow sniffed the air. It smelled blood, illness, and weakness. Perfect prey. Large amounts of those scents were wafting from the building in front of it.

The Hollow was a young one, and thus was not very bright, little more than a feral beast. Had it been capable of rational thought, it might have wondered why a place so full of easy meals had not already attracted the attention of its fellows.

In point of fact, many Hollows had followed the scent of prey to this particular building. And all had met their end there.

A rustle of cloth and a glimpse of a black braid was all the warning the Hollow got before it died.

-x-

Unohana sighed as yet another Hollow dissolved. That was the fifteenth one tonight. She had patients that needed rest and all this commotion was not helping.

A set of shuffling footsteps drew another sigh from the 4th Division Captain.

_Speaking of patients that need to rest…_

"Captain Kuchiki, would you like to tell me what you are doing out of bed?"

The Captain of the 6th Division froze in place, halfway through the door of the 4th Division Headquarters. Most would be unable to see it – Captain Kuchiki's self control was incredible after all – but Unohana's practiced eyes easily catalogued his erratic breathing, swaying, and – if the tightening of his brow was any indication – an intense headache. Considering he had had his head smashed against the Senzaikyu, none of that was surprising. Which was why she had given him explicit orders to remain in bed until at least tomorrow morning.

"I must return to my Division," the nobleman said, clearly trying to look as if he were not intimidated by her.

Unohana smiled and noted that Captain Kuchiki barely restrained himself from taking a step back. "What you must do is return to your bed and rest. The fact that you apparently have not sensed the current state of your Division is a very good indicator of your condition. They are doing just fine without you and can continue to do so."

Unohana watched as Kuchiki directed his attention and senses toward his own headquarters. The 6th Division's response to the Hollow incursion had been swift. After securing their perimeter, teams of ten – each led by a high-ranked officer – would leave, hunt down as many Hollows as possible, then return exactly thirty minutes later to rest while another team was sent out. It was a quick, efficient method for exterminating the invading Hollows. Vice-Captain Abarai was doing well in his Captain's absence.

Having grudgingly confirmed that his Division could deal with the situation at hand, and after a quick glance at Unohana's serenely smiling face, Captain Kuchiki turned and (abandoning all pretenses) staggered back to his room.

_Well, that's one problem solved._ A loud crash followed by maniacal laughter drew Unohana's attention to the far side of her headquarters. The 4th Division Captain resisted the urge to palm her face. _Kenpachi…_

"I have a wayward patient to track down, so if you require assistance, I'm afraid I will have to direct you to my Lieutenant," Unohana said to seemingly empty air.

The Secret Remote Squad member blurred into existence. "My apologies, Captain Unohana. However, your presence is needed at the 2nd Division immediately. No one else is capable of saving Captain Ukitake's life."

Unohana blinked. "I'm sorry. Can you repeat that please?"

* * *

><p><strong>I killed Gin and Dordonii! My two favorite bad(ish) guys! I'm a horrible person! TToTT (I couldn't care less about Cirucci. She's a bitch.) Sadly, yes, they are definitely dead. Sorry. I didn't do it for no reason though! I swear! Their deaths were vital to the plot!<strong>

**So, Aizen's back on the move, Rangiku and a nameless mook are heading into trouble, Yamamoto's on the warpath, Unohana continues to be the scariest being in Soul Society, and Kenpachi has escaped the 4th Division. **

**If all goes well, next chapter will be the climax of the Soul Society Arc and super long to boot. Then we'll have a chapter or two of wrapping up, after which Season II will begin (preceded by a trailer to wet your appetites). Look forward to it!**

**As always, critiques and comments are welcome. Even if you're just getting after me about how long it took to put out this short chapter.**


	20. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: The odds of me owning Bleach are about the same as the odds of me turning Super Saiyan. Seeing as I was not found in a space pod and have never had a tail, it will probably never happen.**

_**Muse Power Levels at 87 percent…92 percent…99 percent…Muse Fully Charged.**_

_**The Muses from Hercules immediately take the stage singing "Zero to Hero".**_

**Ahahahahaha! I was right! Posting that last chapter and starting fresh was just what I needed! Prepare yourselves, my loyal readers! The climax of the Soul Society Arc is here! Brace yourselves for action, laughs, and all-around epicness!**

**Reviews:**

**#350: Impstar**

**#360: Love Psycho**

**#370: RedHound**

**I realized that I never modified the Espadas' numbers to account for the Privaron still being present. Oops. Let's just pretend that they occupy the 10****th****, 7****th****, and 4****th**** spots (Cirucci, Dordonii, and Gantenbainne respectively) and that Aizen has been too busy to get around to demoting them. Sound good? For those wondering, the current top three are (in order) Barragan, Harribel, and Ulquiorra. Stark, Yammy, and Zommari have not received their promotions yet, and Luppi is still an Adjuchas wandering Hueco Mundo.**

**I'm sure you're all anxious to get back to the action, but first we're going to take a quick detour to Living World…**

* * *

><p>"Ichigo, you stupid, oafish, no good, - !" Rukia's tirade was cut off by a sandal impacting the back of her head.<p>

"Shut up, you annoying midget! You're giving me a headache!"

"Who are you calling a midget? You're shorter than I am!"

"Damn Shinigami! Why I oughta – Hey! Lemme go, Shinji!"

Shinji sighed as he dragged his vertically challenged friend away from the irate Shinigami girl. He saw bloodshed in the future if those two were allowed to continue interacting. He turned a longsuffering gaze to the pair of human teenagers that had brought the yelling fugitive here.

"You couldn't have taken her to Urahara's?"

Chad shrugged. "Nobody there."

Shinji sighed and scratched the back of his head, forgetting about the angry monkey in his arms. The lapse cost him, in the form of an elbow to the chin.

"That stupid Hat-and-Clogs! Never around when you need him!"

Orihime bowed to Love in apology as the shouting continued. "Sorry about this. I know you all don't like Shinigami that much…"

Love waved her off. "It's fine. You kids really pulled off something amazing. In light of that, we can put up with that girl for a while. After all…she's a fugitive just like us now."

"That's right!" Mashiro cheered. "And us fugitives have to stick together!"

Lisa looked at Chad. "So you got her out without running into Aizen?"

Chad shook his head. "No. He caught us on our way out."

All the Vizard snapped to attention. Shinji and Hiyori froze in place (Hiyori in a headlock with her teeth latched onto Shinji arm) to stare in shock.

"Aizen caught you?" Kensei asked. "How the hell did you get away?"

Chad pointed at Orihime, who blushed and averted her eyes when all the Vizard directed their attention to her.

"Huh? Her?" Hiyori crossed her arms in disbelief. "Little Miss Pacifist saved all your asses? How'd she pull that off?"

"I wasn't the only one responsible!" Orihime protested, feeling uncomfortable at the close scrutiny she was getting. "Ichigo's the one that blasted him through the mountain!"

"Mountain? What mountain?" Rose asked. "The only mountain in the Seireitei is…" His eyes widened when he made the connection.

"Ichigo blasted Aizen through _Sokyoku Hill_?" Lisa gaped, her glasses falling down her nose.

"Not just through it," Rukia chimed in. "What was left collapsed on top of him."

The Vizard continued to stare for a minute before Shinji snickered. That snicker quickly turned into full-blown laughter.

"I can't believe it!" Shinji clutched his stomach as his laughter started to hurt. "Big bad Aizen taken down by a pair of teenagers! And to cap it off he gets Sokyoku Hill dropped on his head? Oh god my ribs!"

The rest of the Vizard started to smile and soon joined Shinji in hysterics.

"This calls for a celebration! Fire up the grill, Kensei!"

Chad and Orihime smiled at the former Shinigami, who seemed truly happy for the first time since meeting them.

"Chad."

The giant Mexican turned to Rukia, who looked troubled again.

"Why did you leave when Ichigo told you to? Why did you let him stay?"

Chad was silent for a minute. Then he asked, "Has Ichigo ever broken a promise to you, Rukia?"

"No."

" Me neither. That's why I left. Ichigo said he would see us again. When Ichigo says he'll do something, he does it. So he'll be back. All we have to do is trust in him and wait."

"Hey! Get your asses over here!" Hiyori yelled. "If you want to join in the party, you've gotta help set it up!"

-Soul Society-

Unohana flashed over buildings. She had left her Secret Remote Squad escort behind long ago. If Ukitake truly was as injured as she was told then she had no time to waste.

A buzz of static and a white dressed form appearing in front of her caused Unohana to stop short.

"Greetings, Ms. Captain. My name is Shawlong Kufang. Arrancar No. 11. If it is not too much trouble, would you mind dying?"

"I do not have time for this." Unohana stepped forward, her lips turning up in a serene smile that did not reach her eyes. "Please move."

A tremendous weight crashed down on Shawlong and the Arrancar started to realize that challenging a Captain might not have been the wisest decision.

-x-

"U-um…Mr. Ichigo – sir? We're almost to the 4th Division." Hanataro gulped as the Arrancar turned his yellow gaze on him.

"Ah. Thanks, Hanataro." Ichigo absentmindedly swung his massive blade, splitting a lion-like Hollow from mask to tail then blasted another four with a point blank Cero. "Sixty-three!" Hanataro swallowed hard at the casual display of power.

_How do I get myself into these situations?_

Captain Unohana had dispatched the relief teams to assist wounded Shinigami. Unfortunately, Hollows had attacked his team. Somehow, Hanataro had managed to draw their attention to himself and led the pack away from his comrades. Good for his teammates. Not so good for Hanataro. The monsters had dogged his heels for twenty minutes before the tiring 7th Seat turned a corner and plowed into a figure with white hair, an oversized butcher's knife, and immense Hollow reiatsu.

Hanataro couldn't do much more than tremble in fear and then stare in shock as the monster ignored him and slaughtered the pursuing Hollows. Dumbfounded, Hanataro quickly found himself conscripted into leading a group of injured Shinigami from the 13th Division to the 4th while Ichigo Kurosaki and Uryuu Ishida ran interference and annihilated Hollows by the dozens.

Speaking of the archer…

Hanataro flinched as the Quincy's glasses flashed dangerously. If he had heard right, the archer was behind by ten in his competition with the Arrancar. And he was standing between the two. Hanataro ran ahead a bit to get out of the line of fire.

"It should be right around this cor – " Hanataro walked into something solid. " – ner." Hana looked up…and up…and up into the grinning, eye-patch wearing face of Kenpachi Zaraki.

"So you are still here. I thought I felt your reiatsu, Ichigo." The scrape of metal on metal signaled Kenpachi's sword clearing its sheath. "Mind if I join in the fun?"

Hanataro gulped. His situation had not improved.

-x-

Unohana strode through the corridors of the 2nd Division, her appearance as pristine as when she left her Division. An escort led her to Soifon's office. Not waiting for an invitation, the second oldest Captain threw the sliding doors open.

The first thing she saw was Ukitake, lying unconscious on a sleeping mat. His kimono had been removed, revealing copious amounts of bandages wrapped around his chest. The bandages over his Saketsu and Hakusui were soaked through with blood. The two 2nd Division medics got up to allow Unohana access to Ukitake.

"Hiya, Retsu. How are you this fine evening?" a strained, yet familiar voice asked.

Unohana turned to the other mat, which held Yoruichi Shihoin. Unohana allowed herself a moment of surprise before hiding it behind a mask of professionalism. "I myself am doing quite well, Yoruichi. You, however, look somewhat worse for wear." Unohana knelt beside the Captain of the 13th and began to work, the 2nd Division medics updating her on every aspect of Ukitake's current condition.

"Well, getting stabbed does tend to be rather hazardous to one's health," Yoruichi quipped. "Can you believe this is the second time today that someone has caught me by surprise? I'm extremely embarrassed."

"Well, your personality doesn't seem to have changed in the last hundred years." Almost without thought, the glow of a healing Kido surrounded Unohana's hands and she pressed them against the bleeding wounds on Ukitake's chest. "Where is Captain Soifon?"

"What? No questions about why I'm here?"

"I believe you are here because you have suffered damage to your Saketsu and are unable to actually move from that spot until I heal it."

"Touché." Yoruichi smirked. "Soifon's busy organizing her troops. She should be back in a minute." Yoruichi's smirk turned into a proud smile. "She's really grown up. We all got caught with our pants down, but out of the three of us, Soifon's the only one who actually managed to dodge." Yoruichi wiped away an imaginary tear and sniffled. "They grow up so fast."

"They certainly do. Seinosuke's son is my 7th Seat now."

"Really? Little Hanataro? Good for him."

The doors sliding open again interrupted Unohana and Yoruichi's conversation.

"Captain Unohana. Thank you for coming," Soifon said, sliding into her seat behind her desk with a wince.

Unohana glanced at Soifon, taking in her pale face and her barely hidden winces every time she moved, then turned to Yoruichi. "I thought you said she dodged?"

"Aizen only stabbed her in the back. She made him miss her Saketsu and Hakusui."

"And you've been walking around without being properly treated?" Soifon gulped as Unohana's gaze turned back to her. "You will remain where you are and not move until I have finished with Captain Ukitake. Understood?"

"Yes, ma'am!" Soifon said immediately. Nevermind that their ranks were technically equal. When Unohana gives an order related to your health, you shut up and do as you're told.

That taken care of, Yoruichi's comment finished registering in Unohana's mind. "What was that about Captain Aizen?"

-x-

"Guncho Tsurara!"

"Not good enough!" Nnoitora yelled, swinging two of his scythes to deflect the hail of ice shards. The other two struck at his opponent, but Toshiro dodged them easily, floating backwards out of Nnoitora's range. Or so he thought. Nnoitora vanished in crackle of static, reappearing behind Hitsugaya, all four scythes in motion.

_Damn!_ Hitsugaya curled his wings around himself and thickened the ice just in time to block the heavy blades. The heavy blades bit into the ice but didn't penetrate all the way through. Hitsugaya met Nnoitora's gaze and smirked. "My turn."

Nnoitora's eye widened when Toshiro snapped his wings open, taking the embedded scythes with them. With his weapons trapped, Nnoitora's arms were spread wide, leaving his torso completely defenseless against Hyorinmaru's thrust.

Steel met flesh and blood splattered the ground.

Hitsugaya looked down in disbelief. His sword arm hung limp, nearly severed from his shoulder, and bloody gash crossed his torso. "What…?" _How? I had all his arms trapped…_

Nnoitora grinned down at him, lifting the blood-soaked scythes held in the two extra arms that had sprouted from his torso. "Oh, didn't I tell you? I have six arms, not four. Better luck next time, kid."

Hitsugaya howled in pain as Nnoitora's foot smashed into the wound on his chest, dislodging the scythes from Toshiro's wings and throwing the child Captain into a wall. The stone cratered when Hitsugaya crashed into it and he slumped to the ground, struggling to stay conscious.

"What a bore. I hope there's someone actually worth fighting around here." Nnoitora shouldered his scythes and started walking away.

"Wait…"

"Huh?" Nnoitora looked back to see Toshiro staggering to his feet.

"We're…not done…yet."

"Oh? You want to keep going?" Nnoitora stood over the young Captain. "If that's what you want…" Nnoitora raised one of his scythes to deal the final blow.

"Now hold on a minute."

Nnoitora jerked his head back and watched a sword pass through the space it used to occupy. He followed the blade back to its wielder, seeing a tall man wearing a straw hat and a pink haori, holding a katana in one hand and a wakizashi in the other.

"Nanao."

A woman wearing glasses appeared behind the man. "Yes, Captain?"

"Do what you can for Captain Hitsugaya."

"Yes sir."

The Captain of the 8th Division directed his full attention back to Nnoitora. "Why don't we let Toshiro take a break?" Shunsui Kyoraku asked, a carefree smile on his face. "I'll play with you if you want." The smile took on a more dangerous edge. "I know some fun games we can play."

-x-

"You know, you scared me for a second there. I thought you had forgotten about the deal you made with Chad and Orihime," Ichigo said as he watched a group of wary 4th Division members take the wounded 13th Division inside for treatment. He found it somewhat amusing how quickly they worked, trying to spend as little time under his yellow gaze as possible.

"Che. A chance to fight someone as strong as you and you can't avoid it? Like hell I'm gonna forget something like that." Kenpachi leaped into the air and reduced a flying Hollow to shredded meat with a single swing. "Thirteen," he said as he landed.

Ichigo smirked and fired a sword at an elephant-sized Hollow that was making a play for one of the relief teams, nailing it between the eyes. "Sixty-seven. You've got a lot of ground to make up."

The last of the injured Shinigami were carried into the 4th Division. Kenpachi's grin widened. "Finally. Let's go. I'll catch up in no time."

A trio of arrows flew past their heads, each piercing and killing a Hollow.

"Sixty-eight," Ishida said smugly, pushing his glasses up his nose.

Ichigo and Kenpachi both glared at the Quincy.

"I'm sensing a large influx of Hollow reiatsu in that direction. I expect we will find a Garganta there."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Kenpachi asked. "Let's go give them a great big Soul Society welcome."

Once again, Hollows across the Seireitei felt a chill down their spines.

-x-

Nnoitora skidded back, struggling to regain his footing. The Arrancar growled at the smiling Shinigami Captain standing before him.

"What's wrong? Not having fun anymore?"

"Shut up!" Nnoitora surged forward, lashing out with all six arms in confusing patterns meant to overwhelm his opponent's defense. "Don't you mock me!"

Steel crashed against steel and Nnoitora grew ever angrier. _He's fending me off with those damn toothpicks!_ The Quinto Espada roared in rage and struck again. "Damn you! Quit fooling around! Release your fucking swords!"

Kyoraku deflected the swing then vanished. Nnoitora felt a rush of air blow past and his chest erupted in blood. Another swing severed two of his left arms.

"Gah!"

"I'm afraid Katen Kyokotsu isn't in the mood to play with you right now. Sorry."

"Damn you, Shinigami!" The stumps of Nnoitora's arms twitched, bubbled, and then sprouted new arms. A flick of his wrists and new scythes appeared in his hands. Nnoitora charged, slamming all six scythes down at his foe. The Captain blocked, just like Nnoitora had expected.

"Eat this!" Golden light gathered on the tip of Nnoitora's tongue and he fired the Cero point blank in Kyoraku's face.

"Hahaha! How's that, Shinigami?" Nnoitora cackled as he looked the dust cloud the explosion had created.

"That wasn't bad at all," a voice said from behind him. Nnoitora jumped and spun around, seeing that damnably smug looking Shinigami, completely unhurt. "Really. I'm glad you missed me. That would have hurt if it hit."

Nnoitora growled and raised his scythes again. He was about to charge when Kyoraku flipped his swords around and sheathed them in one motion.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Giving you a chance to leave."

"What?"

"It's obvious you're out-classed. But I really don't like unnecessary fights and Toshiro needs medical attention. So I'm giving you a chance to just walk away. Go back to Hueco Mundo and never come back here."

"You…**Are you fucking retarded**?" Nnoitora roared and charged Kyoraku. "Like hell I'm going to leave! This fight isn't over until one of us is dead!" Nnoitora swiped at Kyoraku, who swayed out of the path of every swing. "Don't…You…Dare…Pity…ME!" Nnoitora stuck his tongue out and charged a Cero.

He saw the realization on the Shinigami's face. Kyoraku was standing directly between Nnoitora, the brat of a Captain he had beaten earlier, and that weak looking woman. _That's right, asshole! Your little friend is right behind you. You can't dodge this one. Nothing to do but TAKE IT -!_

Nnoitora's head snapped back as the Captain's wakizashi slammed into his forehead up to the hilt. The Cero was released straight up into the air, eventually striking the barrier that surrounded Seireitei and dissipating.

Kyoraku yanked his Zanpakuto out of the dead Arrancar's skull. "All you had to do was leave." Kyoraku pulled the brim of his hat down. "Stupid fool. Did you even have a reason to fight?"

Kyoraku looked up at the sound of someone arriving via Shunpo.

"Shiro! Oh god, please say something!" A disheveled Hinamori dropped to her knees next to the young Captain. "I'm sorry! If I'd been faster I could have – ".

"Gotten yourself killed," Hitsugaya grit out, pressing his working arm against the still bleeding wound on his chest. Nanao had done what she could, but field medicine wasn't enough for wounds as severe as the ones he had received at the Arrancar's hand. "You wouldn't have been able to scratch him, Momo. You would have died trying to fight him."

"But I…"

"Ahem." Captain and Vice-Captain turned to the 8th Division's Vice-Captain. "While I'm sure you two would like to argue this out, I think it would be best to do so after Captain Hitsugaya has been to the 4th Division."

"Ah…right."

"That's my Nanao," Kyoraku crooned. "Always keeping her priorities straight." He tried to put his arm around her, but was smacked in the face with a large book. "You're so mean, Nanao…" Kyoraku pouted as he lifted Toshiro onto his back and the group departed for the 4th Division.

-x-

Hollows screamed as a wave of ash swept over them. Rangiku and a dozen members of the 5th Division dashed through the horde, cutting a swathe straight to the Garganta.

Haineko slashed a particularly large Hollow to ribbons and as it fell, Rangiku got a look at the Garganta. It didn't look like the usual hole in the air that normal Hollows used or the giant rip in the sky caused by a Gillian. It looked more like an open mouth than anything else. And there were Hollows pouring out like ants from an anthill.

Rangiku bit her lip. She had no idea how they were going to close this up. _First things first._ "Block it off! Bottleneck and kill them before they can get out of the Garganta!" she ordered. That would lessen the number they had to deal with at any given time.

"Sorry. I can't let you do that, Shinigami."

Reflexively, Haineko gathered behind her and bunched together into a barrier of ash. While it did not stop the heavy blow that struck it, the shield slowed it enough for Rangiku to get out of the way. The fist burst through the ash and embedded itself in the ground Rangiku had just vacated.

"You're quick," the large, red-haired Arrancar complimented.

"And who might you be?" Rangiku asked.

"Arrancar No. 13…Actually that's all you really need to know. No sense introducing myself to someone who is about to die, right?"

Rangiku raised Haineko's hilt, ash gathering around her. She spared a glance at the Garganta. Her fellow Shinigami had done as ordered, slaying every Hollow they could as the beasts tried to pass through the Garganta.

"Let's get started!" the Arrancar yelled, a grin on his face. Rangiku drew back Haineko, about to send the millions of tiny blades into her opponent's eyes.

Then a pair of monstrous reiatsu crashed down on the area.

"There's the Garganta! … And an Arrancar!"

"Dibs!" two voices cried in unison.

Steel flashed, blood flew, and the Arrancar Rangiku had been about to battle fell dead, cut clean through at his chest and waist, with a glowing blue arrow through his head.

"I got him first!" a teenager with white hair and a tail yelled.

"The hell you did, Ichigo! He's my kill!" Captain Zaraki yelled back.

"You're both wrong. My arrow struck before either of you," another teen (this one an archer) interjected.

"Huh?" Rangiku stared at the odd sight before her. _Did I hit my head or something?_

"Vice-Captain Matsumoto!"

Rangiku spun around and saw the 5th Division members blocking the Garganta about to be overwhelmed. "No!"

Before she could move to aid them, the white-haired boy appeared behind them, shoving his way through the line.

"Hi there," he said before booting the nearest Hollow back into the Garganta, setting off a domino effect of Hollows inside the rip in reality. "See ya." Blood red reishi gathered in the teen's palm, forming a glowing orb. "**Cero**." Screams echoed out of the Garganta as the destructive beam obliterated everything inside. Then he seized both sides of the Garganta and yanked it shut, the seam vanishing back into normal air.

"Okay, I wasn't able to get an accurate count, but there were a lot in there. So I'm just going to call it an even hundred. That gives me one hundred seventy-five. You two can debate how much that Arrancar was worth."

"Cheater," the archer and Captain Kenpachi muttered, barely audible to Rangiku's ears.

All three vanished, leaving Rangiku and a dozen dazed members of the 5th Division wondering what the hell had just happened.

-x-

Grimmjow dropped the cooling corpse of his latest victim (some idiot who thought swinging his sword randomly counted as swordsmanship). _Shawlong and Edrad just bit it. _"Weaklings. Killed before they could even use their Resureccion. What a waste."

Of course, their deaths finally gave Grimmjow a direction. The reiatsu that destroyed Shawlong was gone, suppressed by its owner after dispatching his Fraccion. But the other – the others – that had killed Edrad…they were still broadcasting.

_Finally! A real fight!_

Grimmjow blasted into the air, practically salivating at the thought of the battle to come.

-x-

"I suppose…with Urahara's Hogyoku no longer within my reach…there is no more reason to remain…"

-x-

Ichigo skidded to a stop. Something was happening. The slight feeling of _home_, of _Hueco Mundo_, that he had been feeling ever since the Gargantas had opened had just increased.

"Hey! What's the hold up, Ichigo?"

Ichigo ignored Kenpachi, his senses probing the reiatsu around him. Finally, he realized what was happening. He had felt this before, on a much smaller scale (and he hadn't really been good at sensing much of anything at the time), weeks ago during Ishida's challenge.

"This…is so not good…"

-x-

Everyone in Seireitei – Shinigami, Hollow, and Arrancar alike – stopped and stared as the sky cracked, bulged, and was ripped open by dozens of chalk white hands.

Yellow light shot from the sky, touching down at various points in the Seireitei.

-x-

"What, already?" Grimmjow crossed his arms and growled. Pantera thrummed at his side. Both the Arrancar and his Zanpakuto were disappointed they hadn't gotten the battle they craved.

-x-

Ilfort, Nakim, and D-Roy all grumbled at their fun being interrupted.

-x-

"Captain?" Shuuhei stared at him through the yellow barrier of the Negacion. "What is going on?"

Tosen said nothing as he was lifted away from the corrupt Soul Society he despised so much.

-x-

"Where the hell are you going? We haven't even started the fight!"

Gantenbainne rubbed the bridge of his nose, trying to stave of a migraine. Honestly, he'd willingly surrender his position in the Espada if it meant he would never have to deal with those two again.

-x-

Yamamoto glared up at the Negacion. He could see two of his Captains being drawn into the sky, one of which was supposed to be dead.

He really needed to think about retiring. He was getting way too old to be dealing with this shit.

-x-

"Please tell me I'm imagining things, Ishida."

"I really wish I could, Kurosaki."

"How _the fuck_ do you survive getting buried under a _goddamned mountain_ and only have ripped up clothes to show for it? Hell, forget the mountain. Orihime cut off his _fucking arm_! I'm counting a total of two arms here!"

"Swearing isn't going to help the situation, Kurosaki!"

"No, but it makes me feel better…"

"If you're done, perhaps we can try to rectify the situation?" Ishida reached under the back tails of his Quincy garb, withdrawing a slender, silver tube about a foot long.

Ichigo glanced at the object and smirked. "Hey, Kenpachi, if you've got any power to spare, mind sharing it?" Ichigo placed his hand on Ishida's shoulder and started ramping up his spiritual power output.

"Huh? Looks like you're gonna do something interesting…Alright…" Kenpachi yanked the eye-patch from his face. "I'll join in."

-x-

Aizen sighed wistfully as the Negacion carried him to Hueco Mundo and his palace of Las Noches. It was a shame. He had planned such a fantastic speech to commemorate his gaining of the Hogyoku. It was a shame he didn't have a chance to give it.

He turned his attention to the orb embedded in his chest. He had satisfied it for now and the Hogyoku lay dormant. He would need to make some plans to continue providing it with high level souls, preferably without having to resort to using any more of his actual subordinates.

In fact, it would really be best if none of them actually knew of his little issue. He crafted an illusion over his body. To any that had seen Kyoka Suigetsu's release, he would appear as if nothing were amiss. There was no Hogyoku in his chest and his clothes were whole. So far as anyone would know, Gin, Dordonii, and Cirucci have been killed by Kurosaki and his band, and the ryoka escaped without him acquiring the Hogyoku.

_I think this is the first time my plans have gone so awry…It's a rather odd feeling…_

A flare of reiatsu drew his attention. Two towering pillars of reiatsu (one blue, one yellow) shot toward the sky…then were sucked back to earth in a massive, green whirlpool of power.

"What -?"

-x-

"Fire in the hole," the Arrancar and Quincy said together.

Ishida released the bowstring, firing the Seele Schneider.

-x-

Despite knowing that he was untouchable, despite knowing that a Negacion is impervious to outside attack, Aizen's reflexes took over when he registered the projectile screaming toward him, backed by the power of Kurosaki and Kenpachi.

The – whatever it was – pierced the Negacion, sliced Aizen's cheek as he twisted out of the way, pierced the back of the Negacion, plowed through three Gillians, and blasted a building sized chunk out of Hooleer.

Aizen stared at the damage, then turned back to look at the Quincy and Arrancar on the ground.

He smiled at them. Now he realized what the odd feeling was. Aizen had stood on a level above any other for his entire life. Never before had he been pressed, challenged, forced to improvise as he had been by these ryoka. He realized that he had never truly been pushed to the brink.

The thrill of actually knowing that he could be challenged by these beings, even though their power was less than his…

The Hogyoku in his chest stirred.

Aizen backed the rest of the way into the Garganta, his eyes never leaving those of the ryoka until the rip closed and separated them.

_Perhaps this could actually be…fun…_

-x-

"Shit. Missed."

Ichigo took his hand from Ishida's shoulder, drawing his power back into himself and sealing it back into his Zanpakuto, canceling his Resureccion. He could feel the smaller Garganta around Seireitei closing along with the big one. The Shinigami could deal with any remaining Hollows. No need for them to stay any longer then.

Ichigo grabbed the air and ripped open a Garganta of his own.

"Shall we?" he asked Ishida.

The Quincy took one last look at the sky Aizen and his soldiers then stepped into the Garganta without a word.

"Hey, Ichigo."

Ichigo stopped halfway through the Garganta and turned back to Kenpachi.

"I got fifty-seven. Looks like you won this round." The giant Shinigami shouldered his battered blade and leered at the Arrancar. "I plan to win the real fight. You'd better be ready."

Ichigo smirked. "Come by in the next few weeks if you get a chance. We can go to Hueco Mundo and let loose all we want." With a wave, he walked into the darkness and the tear closed behind him.

-x-

A pink-haired head popped up over Kenpachi's shoulder.

"Did you make a friend, Kenny?"

Kenpachi's grin widened and he turned toward the 1st Division. No doubt the old fart was going to want to have a meeting. The sooner he got that over with, the sooner he could get to Living World.

"Yeah. Sure did, Yachiru."

And whatever was up with Aizen…Kenpachi wasn't too clear on the details, but it seemed there were going be a lot of fights in the near future.

Kenpachi Zaraki started to laugh as he casually strolled through the devastated Seireitei.

Things were finally getting _fun_ around here.

* * *

><p><strong>And…Cut! End of Chapter 19! What do you think? <strong>

**Who liked Ichigo's little freak out when he saw Aizen alive? I had fun writing that. **

**Aizen's revelation as he was leaving was something I hadn't planned. It came to me while I was writing. I can't wait to see what comes of it. Can you?**

**For those unaware, Seinosuke Yamada was Unohana's Lieutenant one hundred years ago.**

**Poor Shawlong, huh? I've never understood why more stories don't make use of Unohana. She is the second longest serving Captain in the Gotei 13. Yamamoto's the only one older than her. This woman scares the shit out of everyone when she's angry. And she doesn't even look angry! She conveys how pissed off she is by smiling! **_**Aizen**_** never even **_**tried**_** to fight her. The only times he actually confronted her, she couldn't take the time to kick his ass because there were injuries she needed to treat (at least, that's my interpretation of those scenes). Unohana is beyond badass. **

**I really debated how Hitsugaya's fight with Nnoitora was going to go. Should Hitsugaya win and kill Nnoitora? Should he win, but Nnoitora escapes? Should it be a draw? Until I actually started writing it, never did I think Hitsugaya would actually lose. But in the end it seemed like the best idea. Now Toshiro has a good reason to train his ass off and get stronger.**

**I also realized I had neglected Kyoraku. So Toshiro losing provided him with a chance to display his badass credentials. Poor Nnoitora.**

**Actually, I've been neglecting a lot of characters from the Soul Society arc, haven't I? I blame the fact that there's so damn many! Suffice to say, if they are not featured, more than likely they're busy kicking Hollow ass.**

**Stay tuned, folks. There's only a couple more chapters to go. Then I can start working on the sequel in earnest. And once I've got the necessary chapters posted, I'll be able to get started on **_**NQaP: The Movie**_**.**


	21. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. Duh.**

**Reviews:**

**#380: Zaralann**

**#390: librarycat9**

**#400: Dark Echoes 41**

**Here it is, folks. The second to last chapter of "Not Quite as Planned". It's been about eight months since I worked up the courage to post the first chapter. And I have not once regretted that decision. It's thanks to all of you, my readers, that I've come this far. You've stuck with me through all the short chapters, poor grammar, forgotten words, and Schedule Slip. I've learned a lot while writing NQaP, and I think I've made some great strides towards my dream of writing and publishing my original works.**

**But fear not! For this is not the end of the NQaP saga! As some of you have already seen, the trailer for the sequel, "Still Not Going as Planned", is up on my profile. The story itself will soon follow. So keep your eye out for it. Like I've said before, if you thought things were crazy in NQaP, just wait. Buckle up, folks. It's going to be a wild ride. ("Canon"? What's that? Is it tasty?)**

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><p>"Goooooood Moooorniiiing! IIIIIIIIchiiigoooooo!"<p>

The Kurosaki patriarch's yell echoed throughout the house.

"Shut up, old man!"

Ichigo's retaliatory blow also echoed through the Kurosaki residence.

"It's still summer break, Dad! _Normal_ people are still sleeping at six-thirty when they don't have to go to school."

Despite his irritation, Ichigo threw the covers off and got out of bed. He grabbed a towel and strode past his unconscious father to the bathroom.

After the door shut and the shower started, the seemingly out cold Isshin rolled over and opened his eyes.

"Well, he seems to be doing fine, all things considered," he said to himself. The former Captain focused his slowly returning senses on his son and shivered involuntarily. "That's going to take some getting used to though…" After twenty years with no power at all, feeling such a powerful Hollow so close was hell on his nerves. He was ashamed that he had found himself checking over his shoulder a lot more since Ichigo returned from Soul Society. Isshin knew intellectually he and the girls had nothing to fear from Ichigo, but decades of ingrained combat reflexes didn't disappear so easily.

Isshin turned to Karin and Yuzu's room and frowned. Karin's reiatsu was unstable, fluctuating wildly. She was terrified and her "Fight or Flight" response was affecting her own spiritual powers. If this kept up, Hollows would be drawn to her by the truckload.

The head of the Kurosaki family grit his teeth and clenched his fist until the knuckles were chalk white. His daughter was terrified of her older brother and there was nothing he could do to reassure her.

_I can't explain, unless…_

Isshin quickly made his decision. His family could not live like this. As soon as his powers were fully restored, he was coming clean. He'd explain everything to his family and force Ichigo to do the same. Karin needed to see that her brother was no different than before his transformation.

Aside from his dietary needs…And the really scary reiatsu…And the hole in his chest…and what Urahara had described as "creepy eyes"…

Okay, so there was a lot about him that was different…

Maybe he should think this through a little more…

-x-

Ichigo winced as he scrubbed his head. He really wished his powers were more pronounced when he was in his body. The lump on his head had stuck around for the past day.

Ichigo and Ishida had arrived back from Soul Society to find the Vizard in full party mode, celebrating Aizen's defeat. To say Hiyori had not taken the news of his survival well would be an understatement.

Ichigo had made his escape as soon as possible, hightailing it back to his house, nursing his healing injuries. He had found Kon lying on his bed, reading manga. Perfectly acceptable in Ichigo's opinion. Until he saw the "H" logo on the spine.

Apparently, while Kon had refrained from a repeat of his first time in Ichigo's body, he had spent quite a bit of Ichigo's savings on porn. "Bostov" had rapidly found himself in the hands of Yuzu once again, who was delighted to see her favorite stuffed animal.

Ichigo shut off the water and stood there, dripping.

Rukia was safe. She was staying with the Vizard for now. Being around people as strong as the former Shinigami would speed up the recovery of her own powers, according to Hachi.

Now that he thought about it, he needed to talk to Urahara about getting the Hogyoku out of her. That fox-faced guy had been right about one thing. Leaving alone something that could dissolve the barriers between Shinigami and Hollow was just asking for trouble.

Ichigo wrapped his towel around his waist and walked back to his room.

He had a lot to do today.

-x-

"Hey. Kon. Get out here."

Karin froze at the whispered call. _IT_ was at her and Yuzu's door.

She had felt it return yesterday, the thing that was wearing her brother's face, that felt so much like him, but had that dangerous undercurrent to it. And it was even stronger than before. She envied Yuzu. Her sister had no clue that anything was different about Ichigo. Ghosts were just blurry shapes to her. She couldn't _feel_ them the way Karin could. She couldn't feel the terrible power the thing possessed.

Karin barely breathed. She pulled the covers up to cover her face, praying that it simply looked like she was shifting in her sleep. _Please don't see I'm awake. Please, just go away!_

The soft pattering of feet from Yuzu's side of the room caught her attention and she risked peeking out from under the blanket. She barely suppressed a squeak.

_It's moving! The doll is walking!_

The stuffed animal Yuzu called "Bostov" tiptoed out of the room. She heard some more whispering followed by an odd bursting sound. Karin flinched as the thing's aura became more pronounced.

"Okay. I've got things to do today. Stay out of trouble," her brother's voice said.

"Yeah, yeah. No having fun. I got it," her brother's voice responded.

_Wait. What?_

Karin decided to take the chance. She rolled over and stared at the open door from under her blanket. Her eyes widened at the sight of her brother's body standing face to face with a pale skinned doppelganger dressed like a samurai and wearing a sword strapped to his back. There was also a red and white thing covering part of his face.

Well, that explained why the aura around her brother the past few days felt nothing like him…

"Hey, Ichigo. Soul Society isn't gonna be coming after Big Sis Rukia again, right?"

The white-clad Ichigo smirked. "Making sure of that is one of the things I'm doing today."

Karin continued to watch as both Ichigos walked into his room. Karin heard the window slide open then close a few seconds later.

_What the hell is going on?_

-x-

Ichigo ran across the rooftops.

_Come out, come out, wherever you are._

Spirit ribbons materialized around him. He dismissed the two leading in the direction of Urahara's shop.

_Yoruichi's still in Soul Society. Rukia and the Vizard are behind Hachi's barrier. So there should only be one more…Gotcha!_

Ichigo snagged the red ribbon and vanished in a crackle of static, following the ribbon back to its owner.

-x-

Zennosuke Kurumadani stood atop a power pole, surveying Karakura Town.

_What is up with this town?_

So far, he had yet to slay a single Hollow while here. The number of people who could see and fight Hollows was ridiculous. Weren't people like that supposed to be rare?

Something tapped him on the shoulder.

Zennosuke turned around to find himself nose to nose with a pale teenager, dressed in a white Shihakusho, with a fragment of a Hollow mask on his face.

"Yo."

Zennosuke gulped as he stared into the figure's yellow on black eyes. What the heck was this? He gulped again when he saw the sword hilt poking over the guy's shoulder. There was no way this was good.

Then his Soul Pager went off. Zennosuke glanced down then back up at the guy in front of him. The thing smiled politely and made a "go ahead" gesture. Zennosuke smiled nervously and checked his text messages.

_Avoid the spirit that looks like a white Shinigami at all costs. He is to be regarded as extremely dangerous. Repeat: Avoid at all costs._

Zennosuke looked up at the spirit in front of him.

"Oh crap."

-x-

Soifon stared down the double rows of assembled Captains. Well, perhaps "rows" wasn't quite the word. After all, the only Captain standing to Yamamoto's left was Kenpachi Zaraki. Komamura was still in the 4th Division, recovering from the grievous wound Kurosaki had dealt him during their encounter before the Senzaikyu. Aizen and Tosen had been seen leaving Seireitei via Garganta. Ichimaru's whereabouts were unknown. Ukitake was also in the 4th Division, still in critical condition thanks to the damage Aizen inflicted to his Saketsu and Hakusui. Unohana was unsure if he would ever be capable of continuing his duties.

On Soifon's side of the room, three were missing. Hitsugaya was in the 4th Division with Komamura and Ukitake, having suffered serious wounds in his battle with one of the Arrancar that invaded Seireitei. Unohana was unable to attend because of the massive workload bogging down her Division. They needed every available healer to deal with the enormous number of casualties from the Hollow invasion. Everyone with the slightest amount of training in healing was at the 4th Division at this very moment. Everyone else was on search and rescue duties. Save for the 12th Division which had been ordered to make damn sure the barrier was stable and there was no way for any more Hollows to get in.

As for Kurotsuchi…Soifon had checked the records. The mad scientist had the dubious honor of being the first Shinigami Captain eaten by a Hollow in the last century and a half.

It had taken a lot of convincing for Unohana to allow Soifon to attend the meeting as well. Had the Captain of the 4th had her way, Soifon would be laid up in bed recovering from her own wounds. It was only the fact the Soifon had interacted with Ichigo Kurosaki, and was thus necessary at this meeting, that made Unohana release the Captain of the 2nd from her care.

_Honestly, why are we even bothering with the meeting so soon?_ Yes, it was an important meeting. Yes, they needed to address the desertion of Aizen and Tosen. Yes, they needed to address the fact that numerous Arrancar that surpassed any that had come before them had just appeared out of nowhere. Yes, they needed to come to a decision about Ichigo Kurosaki. But couldn't that wait until more than five Captains were available? Even the available Vice-Captains weren't able to take the places of the missing Captains. They were too busy holding the panicking Divisions together while the Captains tried to sort this mess out.

Soifon directed her attention to Yamamoto when the Captain-General banged his staff on the ground.

"The meeting is in session. Our first order of business is the casualties from yesterday's Hollow incursion. Captain Soifon, I believe you have the numbers?"

"Yes, sir." Soifon mentally sighed. The numbers were depressing. "An exact count is not in yet, my subordinates are still compiling reports and digging through the ruined buildings, but the current estimate stands at about 800 casualties, one-fourth of those deaths." All the Captains (save Zaraki) started at the numbers. Two hundred dead was about the equivalent of an entire Division being wiped out. All together, deaths and injuries, the casualties amounted to nearly a _third_ of Seireitei's total fighting force. "Of the survivors, about thirty percent are in critical condition, twenty percent of those not expected to survive another night." Soifon met the eyes of every Captain. "We are facing a catastrophe of a magnitude the Gotei 13 has never felt before. One that will take us centuries to recover from."

Yamamoto closed his eyes and sighed. "Unfortunately, there is little we can do to rectify the situation that is not already being done."

Kyoraku pulled his straw hat over his eyes. "It's not like we can tell the Academy to hurry up and graduate its students. Not everyone can be Kaien Shiba or Gin Ichimaru…"

"Which brings us to our next order of business." Soifon kept her poker face up when Yamamoto turned his gaze on her. "I have read the report you submitted."

_Here we go._ Soifon braced herself for the dressing down of her life.

"And while I dislike it, I cannot bring myself to refute your reasoning."

Soifon blinked. _"Say what?" _she nearly voiced out loud. Yamamoto was _agreeing _that she was right to not bring this matter to his attention? It took all her self-control to keep her straight face.

"You had no concrete proof, allies that would have been arrested and likely executed without question, and no way of knowing how the full extent of Aizen's reach. You acted in what you felt was the best manner to protect Soul Society. I cannot fault you for that."

"Um… Thank you, sir?"

Yamamoto nodded.

Soifon let out the breath she hadn't realized she was holding in. _Guess I lucked out._ When writing the report about her actions during the Ryoka Invasion (which was definitely going to end up in the history books), she was half convinced the next time she set foot in the Captains' Hall, she would be on the receiving end of Ryuujin Jakka.

"Now, about the ryoka…"

Soifon took a deep breath. Now came the hard part: convincing Yamamoto to leave Kurosaki and his band alone.

They were interrupted by Yamamoto's Lieutenant appearing beside his Captain.

"I apologize for the interruption, sir, but the 12th Division just received a message from Zennosuke Kurumadani, the Shinigami stationed in Karakura Town."

"And?"

"Apparently, Ichigo Kurosaki wants to speak to you, sir."

The eyes of every Captain widened in shock.

_Kurosaki, what the hell are you doing?_

"I've brought the necessary equipment, sir. If I may?"

Yamamoto nodded. Sasakibe pulled out a Soul Pager and hooked it to a small speaker system. Then he dialed a number and hit the 'Call' button.

The device rang several times before a 'click' was heard.

"_Um…hello?"_

"Zennosuke Kurumadani?"

"_Um… Yes, Captain-General Yamamoto."_

"Is the Arrancar with you?"

"_Uh…yes, he…Hey, that's mine!"_

A small scuffle sounded over the phone, followed by the sound of an impact.

"_So, you're the head honcho, huh?"_ Kurosaki's voice came from the speakers.

"I am." He sounded irritated at being spoken to so disrespectfully.

"_Anybody else there or just you?"_

"I am here as well, Kurosaki. Along with every other available Captain," Soifon responded.

"_Oh yeah? Good. All of you listen up. Karakura Town's off limits to you. I don't want to see a single Shinigami in my town."_

Yamamoto's eyes narrowed and he slammed his staff on the ground. "You are in no position to be making demands, _child_."

"_I think I am. How many Captains do you have left? Seven? Eight? And I bet you lost a ton of guys to all those Hollows. You've only got one guy here right now. And Karakura attracts a lot of strong Hollows. Way too many for one low-level Shinigami to deal with them all. I doubt you can spare any of your officers right now."_

Which was completely true. Honestly, they couldn't really spare _anyone_ right now, seated or unseated.

"_Really, I'm offering you a pretty good deal. We've got people able to perform Konso, and slaying Hollows is no problem. You don't have to do anything except leave us alone."_

"Kid's got balls," Soifon heard Kyoraku mutter. She had to agree. Dictating terms to Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto, the single strongest Shinigami to ever exist? That took bowling ball-sized stones made of solid bronze.

Soifon resisted the urge to palm her face at that thought._ I'm spending too much time with Lady Yoruichi…_

"Are those your only terms, boy?" Soifon directed her attention back to Yamamoto. "Very well. As you say, we do not have the resources to deal with you right now." The creaking of his staff under his grip told Soifon how much it galled the Captain-General to admit it. "So long as you stay out of Soul Society's business from now on, Karakura Town shall be left alone. No Shinigami will set foot there unnecessarily."

"…_Guess I should have expected you to put a qualifier there. Fine. You leave us alone, we'll leave you alone."_

"Agreed."

Soifon breathed a sigh of relief. That was one less thing she had to worry about.

"_One last thing before I hang up. Is Byakuya there?"_

"That's 'Captain Kuchiki' to you, boy," the Captain of the 6th grumbled at the speaker.

"_Whatever. I realized there was something I forgot to say to you in front of the Senzaikyu." The sound of Kurosaki clearing his throat was heard. Then he spoke, clearly imitating Kuchiki. "'You are slow, even at falling.'"_

Soifon was treated to the interesting sight of Kuchiki freezing in place, a vein pulsing on his forehead.

"_Well, that's it. Kenpachi, drop by when you get a chance. I'm looking forward to adding another mark to my "Number of Captains Defeated" tally."_

Before anyone could say anything, the line went dead.

All the Captains stared at the speaker system, stunned by the Arrancar's audacity.

Then Kenpachi started laughing again.

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><p><strong>Okay, that feels like a good place to stop. What do you think?<strong>

**Rest assured, the "live and let live" agreement is going to be pushed to its limits and beyond. The residents of Karakura are going to clash with Soul Society just as much as they clash with everyone else.**

**Originally, I planned to go back and edit Chapter 13 to include Ichigo mocking Byakuya, but then this occurred to me and I couldn't pass it up. I think it's funnier this way, don't you?**

**Now, who else has noticed the new "Image Manager"? I think having covers for NQaP and NQaP Season II would be awesome. So, I'm opening up a fan-art contest. Make a cover, post it somewhere (like deviantart), and send me the link. I'll sort through the entries, pick my favorite, and the artist will receive an NQaP omake dedicated to them. Make sure to mention which story your cover is for. Anyone interested? **

**Next chapter's the last one. Stay tuned!**


	22. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. Yeah, it's a shame, isn't it? Write letters to Tite Kubo, petitioning him to turn the rights to Bleach over to me.**

**Reviews:**

**#410: Umei no Mai**

**#420: talesfanjmf**

**#430: volvagia09**

**Wow. Pretty soon, we'll be starting the count over again. Even if you never had your review recognized, know that I read and appreciate every one. Those of you who had reviews that were a multiple of 100, if you haven't used your one question, fear not. It does not go away and you can still use it whenever you want.**

**NQaP got recommended on TvTropes! Whoooo! Thank you Lustheron and Ivaryna! The only thing that could make me happier is a tropes page (hint hint).**

**So here we are. The last chapter of "Not Quite as Planned." It's been quite a ride, huh? Let's finish with a bang, shall we?**

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><p>-Seireitei, 3 days after The Invasion-<p>

"So…you're leaving again."

The fully healed Yoruichi turned away from the Senkaimon to look at her old student. She smiled and shrugged.

"I really don't belong here anymore. Go back to this place after all the fun I can have in the Living World?" She placed a hand against her forehead and acted faint. "I'd die of boredom."

Soifon struggled to keep her emotions off her face. Her mentor was leaving her again. The only difference was this time she got to watch.

"Hey. Don't take it that way." Yoruichi stepped up to her and engulfed the younger woman in a hug. "It was never anything you did. This time or the last. Besides, I've been pardoned now. It's not like we'll never see each other again." She held Soifon out at arms length. "But really, can you imagine the trouble Kisuke would get himself in without me around? Trust me, he's no better than he was a century ago." That got a small smile out of Soifon. "That's better. Remember, you're always welcome to visit. So long as I'm around, Ichigo's 'stay out of Karakura' declaration doesn't apply to you."

Yoruichi stepped back up to the Senkaimon. Then she stopped and turned back again. "I just realized. I never congratulated you. You have no idea how proud I was when I first saw you in that haori. Congratulations, Captain of the Second Division." She waved one last time then she was gone.

Soifon stood there for a few moments, smiling at her teacher's parting words. Then a sound like a herd of charging elephants shattered the moment.

Soifon spun around, stared in shock at the sight before her, then got the hell out of the way.

Kenpachi Zaraki rocketed past her, laughing maniacally, his giggling, pink-haired Vice-Captain hanging on for dear life. Ikkaku Madarame and Yumichika Ayasegawa were hot on his heels. The members of the Kido Corps were so surprised by the onrushing Captain and officers that they didn't even think of closing the Senkaimon. The members of the 11th charged into the Senkaimon, heading for Living World.

Soifon shook her head. _Kurosaki actually wants to fight that lunatic?_ She questioned the Arrancar's sanity.

Yamamoto had expressly forbidden Kenpachi from going to battle Kurosaki. They couldn't risk another Captain being put out of action. Apparently he had decided to disregard that order. Yamamoto was going to blow a gasket.

Still, it would be an interesting battle. Maybe a visit to the 12th Division was in order. Supposedly they were experimenting with some new remote surveillance technology. If they had some way to get it into Hueco Mundo…

-Las Noches -

Footsteps echoed down the corridor. The white tails of the figure's coat waved behind him as he walked. Numeros stepped out of the way, allowing him to pass unhindered.

Ulquiorra Cifer swept through the halls of Las Noches, making his way to Aizen's throne room.

Rumors had been circulating since the conclusion of what the Numeros had dubbed "The Invasion". Ulquiorra dismissed most of it as pointless gossip, but he had noticed some common threads in the otherwise ridiculous stories.

Five of the Espada had not returned.

Gin Ichimaru, Lord Aizen's second in command, had also not returned.

Lord Aizen had been unable to claim the Hogyoku.

An Arrancar had fought to repel the invasion.

The first two had been simple for Ulquiorra to confirm himself. Indeed, he could not detect the reiatsu of Ichimaru, Nnoitora, Szayel, Aaroniero, Dordoni, or Cirucci anywhere in Las Noches. While annoying that the trash had been weak enough to be defeated, it was of little consequence. There were always more Arrancar that could fill the gaps in the Espada.

The third was likely to be a major topic of today's meeting, whether Lord Aizen had succeeded or not.

It was the fourth commonality that managed to garner a tiny flicker of interest from the stoic Espada. The source of the rumor was unknown, but all iterations of the tale held that unnamed Arrancar as the slayer of at least one of the Espada.

An unknown Arrancar with the power to match an Espada, that was not loyal to Lord Aizen? Ulquiorra couldn't help but wonder where it had come from.

"_Perhaps Aizen will address it during the meeting," _a deep voice said from beside him.

Ulquiorra's gaze flickered to his left, seeing the large, spectral humanoid walking beside him. So far as he knew, Murcielago was only visible to him when it appeared outside his Inner World. Occasionally, he wondered if he was the only Espada who's Zanpakuto could manifest in such a way.

_It will make no difference if he does or not. If the Arrancar places itself in Lord Aizen's way, it will be destroyed._

Murcielago chuckled. _"Will it? You forget that I know you better than any other, Ulquiorra. I can see it, oh Espada of Emptiness." _Murcielago folded its great, batlike wings around itself like a cloak._ "You are curious if this unknown Arrancar can do what we have done." _

…_Perhaps._

Ulquiorra reached the throne room and pushed the doors open. The sight that greeted him was the assembled Espada, standing in a row before their master's throne. There were several other Arrancar standing off to the side.

"_Likely they are to be added to the ranks," _Murcielago rumbled.

Lord Aizen gazed down at Ulquiorra from his throne. The former Captain had changed his look recently. The glasses were gone and his hair was swept back. Ulquiorra wondered what had prompted the change.

"Welcome, Ulquiorra. Please, join the line."

Ulquiorra nodded and took his place between Harribel and Gantenbainne.

"Well, our first order of business today. If you would all expose your rankings."

Ulquiorra pulled open his jacket, revealing the gothic styled '3' tattooed on his chest. The other Espada did the same, bearing their tattoos.

A light appeared on the end of Aizen's finger. An instant later, Ulquiorra felt a burning sensation on his chest. When it dissipated, he looked down to see the '3' had become a '4'.

_So he found a new Primera. Interesting._

Harribel seemed to take her demotion as easily as Ulquiorra. Neither of the Arrancar really cared what rank they were. Harribel because she truly had no desire for the rank, and Ulquiorra because he knew that if he wished he could easily be the Primera.

Barragan, on the other hand, was shaking with rage at his new rank. If Ulquiorra were to show such emotion, he would be rolling his eyes. The former "God-King of Hueco Mundo" would be impossible to deal with for quite some time.

Judging by the slump of Gantenbainne's shoulders, he had received the demotion he was expecting. Really, the afro-sporting Espada had not been worthy of his rank for quite some time. It was only because Lord Aizen had been too busy with his final preparations to gain the Hogyoku that he had not been demoted. If not for the recent deaths, he likely would have been dropped from the Espada completely. Now ranked Septimo, he left his former place and moved down the line.

On the other hand, it looked like Grimmjow had been promoted. The battle-hungry Espada had a fierce grin on his face.

"_Perhaps he will attempt to challenge us. It would be amusing, would it not?"_

"Please welcome your new comrades. Coyote Stark, the Primera." A tall, bored looking Arrancar stepped to the head of the line, a small child-like Arrancar standing beside him. "Zommari Rureaux, the Sexta." A dark-skinned, muscular Arrancar took Grimmjow vacated spot. "And Yammy Llargo, the Decimo." A massive, muscled Arrancar took his place on the end of the line. "The Octava and Noveno shall remain empty for now."

_The Decimo? Why, when there are two empty spots?_ _And why is Gantenbainne not lower ranked? His power is less than Yammy's._

"Now, I'm sure you all have heard the rumors floating around Las Noches. Unfortunately, I did fail to acquire the Hogyoku. Kisuke Urahara's ragtag band proved quite resourceful, and they were able to escape the Seireitei after killing Gin, Dordonii, and Cirucci. It seems that Urahara has decided to fight fire with fire."

Aizen raised his hand and a ball of light appeared. The light floated to the center of the room and expanded, becoming a translucent sphere. Inside the orb, Ulquiorra could see a figure. Even without being able to sense his reiatsu, the figure depicted was clearly an Arrancar in his Resureccion.

"This is Ichigo Kurosaki. As I'm sure you all have guessed, he is the Arrancar the gossip mill has been mentioning. And those gossips are correct. Kurosaki was responsible for the deaths of both Gin and Aaroniero. However, there is something that makes him far more interesting.

"You see, Ichigo Kurosaki has recently become the first Hollow in 150 years to succeed in eating a Shinigami Captain."

Behind Ulquiorra, Murcielago grinned, showing his sharp teeth, while his tail lashed excitedly.

"_Oh yes. I think this one will be very interesting indeed."_

Ulquiorra studied the image, committing it to memory. "Is he to be killed, Lord Aizen?"

Aizen smiled. "No. At least, not yet. As I said, he is interesting. If possible, I'd like to recruit him. An Arrancar that has proven himself capable of defeating the Captain-class Shinigami? I think he would make a fine addition to the Espada, don't you?"

"_Typical Aizen. Why destroy something when you can turn it to your side."_

If Aizen had anything else to say, it would have to wait. Someone was banging loudly on the doors to the throne room.

Aizen gestured and the doors swung open. A Numeros stood there, arm raised to knock again.

"Um…" He quickly got over his surprise and bowed low. "My apologies, Master Aizen, but two large reiatsu signatures have been detected out in the wastes. One of them is a Shinigami. The other is an Arrancar, but its signature is not in our databanks."

"Oh? How unexpected." Aizen looked back at Ulquiorra. "If you wouldn't mind?"

Ulquiorra bowed. "Of course, Lord Aizen."

The Cuarto Espada quickly exited Las Noches and made his way across the vast desert of Hueco Mundo.

Soon, he came to a stop on a large dune. Down below he could see two figures facing each other. There were several others as well, but their reiatsu levels were inconsequential, and Ulquiorra ignored them.

One was an enormous man, almost as tall as Yammy. His hair was styled oddly, with bells on the ends on numerous spikes. But most importantly, he wore the white haori of a Captain.

The other…

"_I believe that is him."_

Ulquiorra nodded. Ichigo Kurosaki's sealed state looked remarkably similar to a Shinigami. Ulquiorra's keen eyes spotted the broken mask that marked Kurosaki as an Arrancar.

They seemed to be speaking to each other.

_Are they preparing to fight?_

A low droning noise drew Ulquiorra's attention. A small object hovered high above the soon to be battlefield. The moonlight hit it just right as it moved, and Ulquiorra caught the glint of light off a lens.

_A camera?_

Ulquiorra regarded the camera for a moment then dismissed it, refocusing on the figures below.

-x-

Hiyosu wiped his brow. "Whew. I was worried he would destroy it." He punched a few buttons, saving the image of the Arrancar and a scan of its reiatsu for future study.

Soifon struggled to get a look at the screen that was currently showing the live broadcast from Hueco Mundo. _Screw it._ A few well-placed elbows later and the Captain of the 2nd had a front row seat.

Everyone was crowded into one of the monitor rooms in the 12th Division. 'Everyone' referring to all the Captains (save Ukitake, who was still bedridden), their Vice-Captains, and numerous other officers. There was very little breathing room (save around Captain-General Yamamoto, but no one was fool enough to trespass in his personal space bubble), but they were willing to put up with it if it meant a look at the Arrancar that had spent two days running rings around the Gotei 13.

It had taken some doing, but with all the research the 12th had recently been putting into the Gargantas, forming a small one and flying a remote-controlled camera drone into Hueco Mundo was relatively simple. After arriving, it was a simple matter of flying around until Kurosaki and the AWOL members of the 11th appeared from a Garganta opened by the Arrancar.

"So…Anyone want to place a bet?" Vice-Captain Matsumoto asked from somewhere behind her.

Odds and wagers were bandied about, most on how long Kurosaki would last before Kenpachi crushed him.

Soifon didn't know why she decided to speak up. She chalked it up to having Yoruichi's influence back in her life. The woman was very good at getting Soifon to do things without thinking. "Five grand on Kurosaki."

All betting ceased. Everyone in the room stared at the petite Captain, who stood there without batting an eye, continuing to watch the screen. After a few moments, she tilted her head to glare back at the assembled Shinigami.

"What?"

Everyone that met her eyes immediately shook their head and raised their hands in surrender. More wagers were voiced, but Soifon remained the only one to bet on Kurosaki's win.

-x-

"Looks like we've got an audience," Ichigo said, following the path of the flying camera then glancing at the white-clad figure on the sand dune.

_That guy's strong. Way way above Triple A._

"So long as they stay out of the way, they can watch all they want," Kenpachi replied.

"Have fun, Kenny! Good luck, Ichi!" a pink-haired cheerleader shouted from her perch atop her bald subordinate's head.

Kenpachi's subordinates had backed off quite a ways. Ichigo was betting they'd be backing up even more once things really got going.

"Well, shall we get started?" Ichigo asked, drawing Zangetsu. He felt his mouth splitting into a feral leer. His Zanpakuto was practically singing in anticipation of the coming battle.

"Let's." Kenpachi drew his own Zanpakuto.

Both combatants readied their blades.

A breeze blew through, rustling their clothes.

Ichigo and Kenpachi locked gazes, their muscles taut and ready for action.

An unspoken signal.

Twin plumes of sand erupted in their wake.

Twin roars of challenge echoed across the desert.

Ichigo and Kenpachi collided, the impact creating an explosive force that blasted a twenty meter crater in the sand around them.

The battle began.

* * *

><p><strong>:P<strong>

**And that's a wrap. Bet you all were expecting an epic showdown. After all, I have been building to it for the past couple chapters. **

**Well too bad. You have to wait.**

**The first chapter of "Still Not Going as Planned" will be Ichigo and Kenpachi slugging it out. I think that showdown really deserves a chapter all to itself. And what better way to open a new story?**

**So place your bets, folks. This is gonna be _epic._**

**Don't worry, the wait won't be long. I want to have the first chapter out on the 13****th**** of June, exactly eight months after I posted the first chapter of NQaP.**

**Bonus points if you can guess whom I used as the inspiration for Murcielago's form. **

**I hope you all have enjoyed "Not Quite as Planned". See you again soon.**


	23. Sequel Up and Answer

**Hello, my loyal readers. **

**I suggest you all mosey on over to my profile, because it's here. The wait is over.**

"**NQaP Season II: Still Not Going as Planned" has made its debut!**

***fireworks and fanfare***

* * *

><p><strong>Regarding Murcielago, I got a lot of good guesses. To those who guessed Batman, he was seriously considered, but I didn't think he felt right (though Ulquiorra is certainly badass enough to have The Goddamned BATMAN as his Zanpakuto). <strong>

**The Sinful, you were so very close. You got the right cartoon, and almost got the right character. You were just a little off. **

**But the big winner is Nameless Flame Wielder. Murcielago is indeed based off Thailog, Goliath's evil clone from Gargoyles. Congratulations. As a prize, choose one of the below.**

**Training with the Vizard**

**Ichigo vs. Ukitake: The Battle in the Woods**

**Victory Party Derailed**

**Resureccion: The First Release**

**Pick the one you want. It will be the first chapter in the collection of omakes I'm working on.**

…

…

**What are you all still doing here? Get your asses over to "NQaP Season II" and start reading!**


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